Witches
by bubblypandarie
Summary: I never knew witches were evil , until ... she ... killed mom . A love story between a witch and a witch hunter
1. Chapter 1

" Natsu Dragneel , you got the spelling wrong again ! Do it again ," my father scolded me . I was five years old , and I was still learning how to spell . Well , I'm a slow learner anyways . I whined , " Dad ~ Give me a break , will'ya ? I'm tired from all of this , Igneel . " He smacked my head and said ," Don't call me by my name , you brat ! " He sat on the chair and scratched his head . He said ," Alright , take a break . Go play outside . " My mother walked over to him and gave him a cup of water . She said with care ," Careful not to go out too far , dear . The _witches_ might capture you . " She smiled at me , so I grinned at her and nodded my head . As I walked to the back door , I heard my father say ," Don't scare him like that , Elise . " I opened the back door and went out . I don't see witches often , but I'm sure they won't come _here_ to kill people . I lived faraway from the village , so I wasn't scared to go deep in the woods . I walked deeper and deeper into the woods . After a while , I reached my favourite place . It had a river , stones surrounding it like people had decorated it like that ages ago . The birds would always chirp when I go there . It was my hiding spot as well as my relaxation spot .

I lied on the grass , putting both of my hands behind my head , using them as a pillow . I looked at the ever beautiful sky . Just then , I heard a growl . I opened my eyes and stood up . It was a tiger . _Shit_ , I thought . I had learnt how to use a sword , but I hadn't learnt how to fight with it . My dad was a general in the army , he said that learning how to use a sword and fight with it would help me someday . I looked around me and picked up a branch that was thick . I stood in my fighting stance and took the first step . I ran forward and swung it on it . I hit it , but it made me fall backwards on the ground instead . The tiger growled again , but this time , it growled louder and with the intention of killing . It walked closer to me . I gulped and closed my eyes shut .

" _Evanesco_ . "

It was a girl's voice . I heard a thump , like something had fallen on the floor . I opened my eyes . The tiger was now on the ground , whimpering . I sat up and looked at my left . A blonde haired girl was standing there , looking at me . She looked almost the same age as me . She was a beauty . She wore a rose golden dress with laces at the end of it . It was quite a long dress , almost like a wedding dress . She was so beautiful , my heart raced and I blushed . She walked over to me and asked ," Are you okay ? " She checked my body to see if there were any wounds . Then , I remembered the tiger . I frowned and said ," Y-you .. did this ? " She looked at me with innocent eyes and said , " Yeah ..? I did . I'm a witch . " She smiled at me and I blushed harder . My face was hot . I asked ," Are you just gonna let it die like this ?! " She scoffed at me and said ," Die ? No , my spell was to tighten its heart , that's why it was whimpering . Basically , it's to paralyse it's body . Don't worry , it won't kill the poor animal . The animal will only die if I say ' _Dedisco_ '. " I blinked at her a few times , confused .

She stood up and kneeled down beside the tiger . She stroked its body a few times and whispered ," _Novo_ . " The pained expression on the tiger slowly became a peaceful one . She smiled to herself , like it was the first time her spell had worked . The tiger opened its eyes and stood up slowly . She stopped stroking it and said ," You are a beautiful tiger , aren't you ? You should learn to appreciate humans , and not killing them . Go , my dear . " She stood up . I couldn't believe what I saw . THE TIGER BOWED TO HER ! I said ," T-that .. it actually bowed to you ? " She looked at me strangely and asked ," Why not ? After all , I'm the one who saved it's life . Do you think I actually forced it to bow to me ? " I smiled at her and said ," I think it was awesome ! " She looked away . Her ears were red . _Was she blushing ?_ I thought . She looked at me and cleared her throat . She said ," So , what's your name ? I'm Lucy . "

" I'm Natsu .. " I replied .

" So , what's a boy like you doing here deep in the woods ?"

" This is my favourite spot of all times , I come here occasionally . "

" Really ?! I like this place too ! " She smiled brightly at me .

" Yeah . " She was smiling so brightly , it could've been brighter than the sun .

" You know- "

She'd suddenly stopped talking and her facial expression changed . It was like something she'd hated had come into her sight . Her face darkened . She stood up and walked away . I shouted for her name and asked why she was leaving .

 _Humans are coming . I have to go . Let's meet here again at three , Natsu_ .

A voice was in my head . It was hers , Lucy's voice . I told her in my mind , _Okay , Lucy . See you ._ Even thought I don't know whether it would reach her . I smiled in her direction . Just then , I heard a sound in the bush . I looked behind me . " There you are , " oozed a voice . It was dad's . He appeared out of the shadows with mom behind him . Mom asked ," Why did you go so deep in the woods ? " She put her hands on my face and pushed it side to side , making sure I wasn't hurt anywhere . I told her that I wasn't hurt , internally and externally . She sighed with relieve and smiled at me .

After that day , Lucy and I had met up every day for two months . Since I had gone out everyday , Dad asked me why . I replied ," Dad , I met this girl and I really like her ! " I grinned at dad . He said ," Alright , but make sure she's not a _witch_ . " I froze . _Why? Is there a problem with Lucy being a witch ?_ I thought . I said ," Why not ? You know , ever since I met her , I don't think witches are evil anymore ! When we first met , she helped- " Igneel banged the table and stood up . He was furious . He said ," So she is one , then ?! From today onwards , you are _not_ going to meet her every again ! "

Then , one day , an accident happened . A tragic accident . My mother had been killed . The news had been too sudden , my dad broke down . He had been crying for the past few days . I'd hated that mom wasn't here anymore , I _really_ hated it . I walked to my favourite place and made a cone made out of stones . I carved mom's name on the biggest stone and put it on the front . I prayed that she would rest in peace in heaven .

" .. _Natsu_ ..? "

I looked behind me and saw Lucy . I said ," Lucy ..! " I went to hug her . She asked ," What's wrong ? You suddenly stopped coming here .. Did something happen ? " We walked to the little grave I had created for mom . She asked me ," E..lise ..? Who is this ? " I replied ," My mother , she was killed .. a few days ago . " She had a sad expression . She said ," I'm sorry to hear that .. " I forced smile and said ," Nah . " She asked ," If you don't mind .. you wanna share how you feel ..? " I nodded my head and started to describe about mom . I took a glance at her after a while . I realized that she was pale , and that her expression was surprise mixed with fear . I said ," Lu..cy ..? You okay ? " I reached out my hands to touch her face . But before it could touch her , I was pulled back . " Don't get close to her ! " I said ," Dad..? " He glared at her with anger in his eyes . He said ," She .. was the one that killed your mother !" I couldn't believe what he said . From what I'd seen of Lucy , she wasn't the type to kill someone without a reason . I wanted to argue back but Lucy had said something I couldn't believe .

 _" That's right , Natsu . I killed your mother . "_


	2. Chapter 2

" That's right , Natsu . I killed your mother . "

My legs gave out and I fell on the ground . The girl that I loved .. killed mom .. I couldn't believe it . To make it worse , she said ," The way your mother screamed when she was on the verge of death- " I pushed my dad away and grabbed her collar . I said with tears falling down my face ," You were my friend ... HOW could you ..?! HOW .. ?! " I pushed her and she fell on the ground . I wiped my tears and said ," I swear definitely have revenge , Lucy Heartfillia ..! I'll kill you when the time comes ..! " She was shaking as she stood up . She kept a straight face and said ," I'll be waiting . " She smirked and walked off . Just then , dad ran past me and took his sword out . He wanted to put it through her stomach . Naturally , my body moved on its own and wanted to shield her . But I stopped and thought , " She .. killed mom .. She should die . "

As dad almost put it through her , she suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him . She said ," Checkmate . Dedis- ... _Evanesco_ . " Dad fell on the ground , his face full of pain . I asked ," You witch ..! Why are you doing this ?! " She had a faraway look and said ," Everyone's the same afterall . " She frowned , her face full of sadness . She suddenly disappeared . I looked at dad once again . If I tried , I could try to cast a healing spell on dad . Lucy had taught me how . Even though she was the one who taught me , nows not the time to care . I let out air and cleared my mind . I concentrated on the energy that surrounded me . I took in all the energy and transferred it to dad after . I whispered the way Lucy did , when she saved the tiger ," Novo ." Slowly , dad's painful expression became peaceful . Then , I realized I was sweating a lot . I was tired . It was tiring trying to cast a witch spell on someone . I'd only realise how much energy Lucy used to cast the spells . I'd hated myself for using her spells , but I couldn't help it . I wanted to rest for a while , but instead I slept .

Lucy and I were playing as usual . Her smile was as beautiful as ever and was so bright . I'd love this , cute , loving , charming and beautiful girl . She was the same age as me , but she seemed more mature . She ran in front of me , then turned around and smiled , reaching out her hand . I reached out for her hand , but before I could hold it , the world suddenly went pitch black . I looked around me , shouting out Lucy's name . There was no reply . Then , I heard her voice . " That's right , Natsu . I killed your mother . "

I woke up jerking and sweating a lot . My first love .. killed mom . I wanted and yearned for the kind , caring and loving Lucy. My heart ached . A hand was put on my shoulder . I looked to my right . Dad asked ," You okay ? " I nodded my head . He looked at the moon and said ," Elise .. loved this place as well . She loved sitting here and looking the moon . " He teared up and said ," I loved her .. so much ... I miss her so much .. Things were going fine until ... ! That witch killed her . I was there .. I couldn't protect her .. " I asked for confirmation ," Dad , are you sure it was- " He looked at me with eyes that indicated it was her . He was sure it was her . It was definitely her , his eyes told me . That shut me up . Then , he said ," Natsu , you cannot trust the Risen . You must learn to hate the Risen . You have to learn how to kill the Risen . " I asked , "Risen ..? " He replied me ," Yes , the Risen . That's how we call the witches . They are all mostly in an organisation , only some in small groups . We call them 'Risen' . "

Thirteen years later

I woke up at four in the morning . I wore my training clothes and my favourite scarf . It was sewed by mom , and given by dad . I took my sword and practiced outside . Swiftly , I sliced the air with skills . Just then , I heard a sound behind my back . I activated my Genisys and swung my sword behind me . I could sense her . She stood still , not moving . I kept my serious face and looked behind . I said ," Lisanna , " and pulled back my sword . I deactivated my Genisys and put my sword back into its case . I asked , " What are you doing here , early in the morning- " She ran towards me and forced a peck on my lips . I pushed her away , blushing . I asked ," W-what was that for ?! " She winked at me , smiling and said ," I wanted to see you , Natsu . That's why I'm here . Also to steal your fighting technique . " Lisanna was in a different campus . She was in the Elliotts campus while I was in the Cyrus . Basically , Cyrus and Elliotts were enemies . Elliotts were led by a woman , and Lisanna was the daughter of that woman . Cyrus was led by dad , and these leaders are called ' Masters ' . These campuses were led by a queen . Queen Tess . She was known to be kind and caring . I respect her . Of course , there were other campuses , but Elliotts and Cyrus were the leaders of the other campuses .

I said ," Go back , Lisanna . Dad'll kill me if he finds out your here . " She hugged me and said ," What's wrong with it ? We're a couple after all . " I frowned and pushed her away . I said ," Don't hallucinate . We already broke up . I don't love you anymore . " She had a sad expression . I felt kind of bad for saying that , so I said ," We're still friends , so I don't feel the need to break off all ties with you . " Her facial expression lightened up , she smiled at me . I blushed and thought of a girl . Then , I clenched my fist . Why am I thinking of that evil witch ..?! My anger burst . I drew my sword and practiced sword fighting more seriously . Lisanna asked ," Natsu , what's wrong ? Suddenly becoming more serious all of a sudden . Wanna spar ? " I looked at her with eyes of determination .

 _Bring it on !_

 _Sure ._


	3. Chapter 3

After Lisanna and I sparred , I saw her off in the woods . As a member of the Elliotts campus , she shouldn't be allowed in Cyrus . We call their people ' Elliott' while they call us ' Cyrite ' . I walked home and wore my usual clothes with my scarf . Then , I walked to the training camp at six . Dad was already there , he was training the soldiers . I walked over to him and said ," Morning , dad . " He glared at me and said ," You're supposed to call me 'sir' here , you brat ! " He hit my head . I said ," Okay, okay- " I saw something that made me speechless . I saw a glimpse of a girl wearing a cape , her hair was ... blonde . My heart pounded when I saw her hair . No woman would enter then camp , and as far as I've known , there was no one in Cyrus with blonde hair .. ! I chased after her . Every turn I make , I could see her cape . Then , I turned at the last intersection . She was nowhere to be seen . Impossible .. I thought .

" .. Nat ..su ..? "

I stood rooted on the ground . I couldn't move . I wanted to confirm that it was her . I clenched my fist . I forced myself to look behind . When I saw her face , I put my hand on my sword , wanting to draw it out .

" _Nuisco_ ."

My hand couldn't draw the sword . It was the spell for neutralising our movement . I glared at her . She said ," Do you really think that I would let myself have a risk of getting killed ? You humans really underestimate witchcraft . " I said ," At least we have weapons that can kill the Risen ." She smiled and said ," Yes , the risen . But I'm not one of them . I'm a part of a secret organization . I bet you humans would not even know what it is . " A secret organisation that we would not know of ?! I thought . I said ," Why did you come here ?! What , after you killed mom , you wanna kill dad now ?! " I stared at her with eyes that had intention to kill . It looked like her face was about to lose composure of her straight , emotionless face . She closed her eyes and frowned . Then , she opened them again . Now , she was emotionless . She sighed and said ," Since I killed your mother , it won't make any sense of you didn't hate me . " She opened her eyes big and smiled a little .

She said ," _De-Nuisco_ ." I drew my sword out and pointed it at her . I activated my Genisys . She looked at it and said ," Genisys , huh .. Well, that's rare . " Genisys was a spiritual energy that connected our minds and our swords . We had different classes for our spiritual energy . The C-classes were called Rector . The B-classes were called Shadows . The A-classes were called Genisys . The S-classes were called Light . The X-classes were unknown . She reached out to touch it . I pulled back my sword and asked ," Do you really think I'd let my precious sword be claimed by you ? " She smiled and put her hand down . She said ," So you've studied . Great . Let me ask you something . Do you think that just because a witch touches your sword when it activates it's magic , that witch claims it even if she doesn't want to ? " I couldn't say anything . She was right . A witch could choose whether to claim it or not . I frowned and put my sword back into the casing after deactivating Genisys . Just then , I heard footsteps . Shit , I thought . Lucy looked behind her . Then , I took the chance to pull her and push her against the wall . I put both my hands beside her head . My cape covered her body .

" Natsu-nii , where have you been ? You father's searching for you ! " A boy spoke .

 _What , you had a younger brother ?_

 _No , I don't ! He just calls me that for fun !_

" Natsu-nii ..? " The boy spoke again .

" Ah , yes . I'll be there in a sec . Tell dad for me . " I said .

" Okay ! " Romeo replied . He ran away .

I sighed and put my hands down . She looked at me right in the eye and asked ," Why did you protect me ? You could've just let the boy tell others and I get captured . You hate me after all , don't you ? " I said ," Yeah , why I wonder . " I stood sideways , letting her walk . Instead of escaping now , she decided to do something else instead. She stood in front of me and walked closer to me . I walked behind and then I was at a dead end . Behind me was a wall , and I was leaning on it . She did what I did to her just now . Our faces were really close . I could feel her breath on my neck since she was shorter than me . I tried to suppress my blush . She attacked me straight on , spoiling the excitement I felt in my heart . She slowly reached out to touch my creststone . A creststone was like our identity . We had different patterns for different campuses . Ours looked like a crescent moon . Before she touched it , I felt my heart tighten as it was the first time Lucy had tried to touch it after so many years . I did let her touch it when we were younger , but only once . I dodged her finger , she moved her finger in a circular motion , setting a short distance between them . She said ," I thought you wanted to get revenge for your mother . Since I killed her . " I frowned , my whole body was burning with anger . I put my hand on her throat and pushed her behind . Her whole body was lifted up , I was squeezing her neck . I stared into her eyes with pure anger . Then , I noticed something . I let go of her neck and she fell on the floor coughing . Maybe it was just me , but her eyes were full of sadness . It was like trying to tell me that she was sorry and that she'd resented herself for it . I got so annoyed that I grabbed her collar and lifted her whole body up . I said ," What- "

" _Evanesco_ . "

Shit , I thought . My heart tightened and it hurt . I fell on the ground . She got on top of the wall and said ," _Novo_ , " before she disappeared . It became less painful , I was relieved that I fell asleep .

At home

I woke up in my room , looking at the ceiling . I thought ," Lucy's hair became .. longer .. she's prettier . She had a figure now , she still had that charming aura around her . If only she hasn't .. " I sat up . Dad was sitting on his chair , dozing off . I woke dad up . Once he opened his eyes , he hugged me immediately . He said ," You're okay ..! " I was shocked by it at first but after , he hit me in the head . He scolded , " Why do you have to make me so worried ?! I have such an ignorant son . " I asked ," What happened ? " He replied ," You fainted in the alley at the dead end . " I felt dizzy and I got a headache . I said ," Dad , I wanna go out for some fresh air . " He said ," Okay . " Again , I went through the back door . As usual , I went to my favourite spot .

When I was about to reach there , I saw a girl kneeling down in front of mom's grave. I saw her hair color and recognised it was Lucy . I asked ," What are you doing here ? " Lucy stood up and looked at me . She wore the exact same dress when we first met , just that it was bigger and Lucy looked more elegant in it . She said ," said ," Hello , Natsu . I've come to visit your mother . " I frowned and asked ," For what ..? " She circled around me and said , " Natsu , you've become more .. handsome after these years . And tall as well . " She slightly touched the edge of my clothes . I got away from her . I asked ," What were you trying to do ? " She scoffed at me and said ," Well , seduce you . It's what witches does for a start before she can claim someone and overtake him . Don't you know ? " Was she trying to claim me ? I couldn't figure out . When I saw her for the first time after so many years , her eyes were filled with happiness . I could sense she was excited to see me again . But then again , all of it is most probably a lie . She smirked at me and asked ," So , when are you gonna take your revenge ? I'm still waiting . " She walked behind me and after a while , she disappeared . I clenched my fist . _I'll definitely find you and kill you next time , you bitch ... !_ I frowned .


	4. Chapter 4

I had to get stronger in order to kill Lucy . If my sensations were not wrong , I had felt the limit to her power when I strangled her . She was stronger than most of the witches I had killed . My training duration was extended , I had trained in the morning and evening . I practiced my swords fighting in the morning while I practiced increasing my spiritual energy and transmutting it to Genisys in the evenings . After transmutting my my energy , I got tired . It was tiring to transmute energy from one to another . That day , I went to sleep without having dinner . I had a dream . A dream about mom .

I was a child , mom often took care of me . She always made my favourite veggie soup , and cooked rice . One day , I saw two Lucys in my room at night . They looked alike , but I could see the difference . The taller one was Lucy , while the shorter one was the other Lucy . I guessed it was another Lucy or even maybe her sister . I was sitting on the floor , leaning against my closet . I was scared . The Lucys were fighting hand to hand . Lucy stood in front of me , blocking my view . The other Lucy had a scared look on her face , like she had realised she'd done something wrong . Just then , I saw mom running in my direction , and standing in front of me , another one blocking my view again . Just then , I saw the other Lucy cast a spell , mom had pushed Lucy down on the floor , she had taken the attack . The other Lucy ran away , I crawled to mom and shook her asking if she as fine . Then , I saw her whispering some words to Lucy . Lucy nodded her head and casted at spell on me .

I woke up with the help of my alarm clock . Great , I thought . I sighed and went to train . As I trained , I wondered what that dream was . It felt real , but then again , it was just a dream . Even so , I still thought about it . I didn't even realise that Lisanna was there until she suddenly back-hugged me . I was shocked , I pulled her arm and pushed her on the ground . I ativated Genisys and pointed my sword at her , putting it beside her neck . I honestly thought it was Lucy . Without realising it , I was glaring at Lisanna with eyes that could kill . Lisanna was shocked and scared , she was shaking with fear . Then , I had realised it was Lisanna . I dropped my sword and rushed over to her . I asked ," You okay ? " She was still shivering , she replied ," W-why d-did you ... a-activate ... your G-genisys ...? " I said ," Sorry .. I thought you were someone else . " Lisanna calmed down after a while . I asked , "Have you calmed down for now ? " She nodded her head and asked ," That someone you thought of .. was it that girl you mentioned .. ? " I answered ," Yeah . " There was silence for a minute . Lisanna asked ," Why .. do you- " Just then , a group of soldiers walked past . They were a badge of the official witch-hunters . It was something like a guild , but more like an organisation . As individuals , they were called ' Brothers ' . They put a 'Brother' in front of their names . The ' Sisters ' were for women that had the guts to be a witch hunter . There was only one woman by far , Erza Scarlet , she was known to be merciless and she was one of the leaders of the organisation . The organisation would differentiate themselves by imprinting a crest on their hand . Me , however , even though I was a witch hunter , I wasn't part of that organisation . I preferred to be independent and rely on myself only . I didn't like being ordered by someone . I have killed many witches , every one that I notice , I kill them mercilessly . The only witch that I haven't killed seen I've seen her was Lucy . I decided not to kill her and I wasn't ready to fight her straight on . I still had a long way to go . Lisanna sighed and said ," It's the 'Brothers' again . I wonder if they come here every morning . " I said ," Yeah , they do . " Just then , we heard stomps of metallic boots . It was Erza . She tied her scarlet hair in a ponytail and wore her usual metallic armour . She looked at Lisanna and commanded ," Lisanna , you're not allowed to be here . Go back to Elliotts before I tell on you . " Lisanna sighed and stood up . She asked ," Are you gonna send me back ? " She had the aura of authority surrounding her . She replied , " Of course . I wouldn't let you go by yourself in case you come back here again . " I had always thought of Erza ad my rival . I always wanted to have a fight with her , but I always lost . Then , I declared ," ERZA ! LET'S HAVE A MATCH ! " She immediately answered , putting up a hand ," No . " I said ," Tch . What a cold woman . " Devil horns came out of her head . She glared at me and said ," What did you say ..?! You wanna get killed ..?! " I immediately shook my head , trying not to get myself killed for saying that . Lisanna stood up willingly and waved bye to me . I waved back . She went with Erza , who was literally pulling her . It was almost six , I changed to my usual clothes and went to the training camp . As usual , dad was already there . But there was someone else there with him . It seemed like they were having a meeting , as they were standing in dad's tent . In there was a table , a map on it . I walked in and heard their conversation .

" But she's the daughter of Sena ! There's no way she could be- " Gray's father , Silver said . He realised I was there , and stopped talking . Gray had suddenly gone missing two years ago , he was my fighting partner , and we the best of friends .

" What brings you here , son ? " Dad asked .

" What were you guys talking about ?" I asked curiously .

" Nothing ," Dad answered .

" I don't think you should know about this , Natsu . " Sliver said , looking away .

" About what ? " I asked . I started to get frustrated .

There was silence in the tent . I frowned and asked ," Is this something I shouldn't know about ? Then all the more I should know ! " I banged the table . Just then , a soldier came in and said ," Sir , we've got the witch ! " The fathers looked at each other and nodded their heads . Both rushed out together . I wanted to go out but I could tell that Dad was telling the soldier something in mindspeak . Mindspeak were for people who were close to each other . They could talk to each other in their minds without saying it out . However , they weren't able to lie . But , even if they are very close , they had to touch each other's creststones in order to be able to mindspeak . I was about to follow Dad when the soldier blocked my way . Apparently , this soldier and dad were quite close . He was known as dad's right hand man and his name was ' Kei ' . I sighed and said ," Kei , let me through . " He said ," I have orders to not let you go through . " I frowned and drew my sword out . He drew his too . I said ," Let me through , Kei . I don't want to fight you . " Although I said that , I had really wanted to have a spar with him for once . I got excited and swung my sword at him . He avoided my attacks and said ," I too don't want to fight you . " Then , I had a plan . I tried to attack him in one direction until he stood in my original and I stood in his . Then , he realised what I had done . I smirked at him and ran off . I saw the Brothers , they were chaining someone . A witch . I walked forward and looked closer . I wanted to see if it was a powerful witch , then I would've wanted the privilege to kill her . I got a clear vision of the witch . I dropped my sword . I got shocked . What ..? Who was that ..? I .. saw wrongly .. didn't I ..? I did .. right ? It couldn't be .. I thought . I ran to the Brothers and tried to go through them . I said ," It's not her ! You got the wrong person ! PLEASE ! It can't be ! " At that time , I only saw her and only thought of her name .

Lisanna .. !


	5. Chapter 5

Dad and Sliver stood beside me , not fidgeting . I said ," Dad , please help her ! You know she's not a witch ! Please ! " I shook dad's hand , pleading for him to understand . He kept a straight face , not looking me . I let go of his hand , knowing that he would not do anything . Then , I saw Erza . I said ," Erza , you know she can't be a witch ! You two have been childhood friends ! You should know her well ! Please don't tell me she's one ..! " Erza kept her emotionless face , she said ," I had my suspicions , Natsu . Now that she's been confirmed as a witch , we have to kill her . " I argued ," But- " I stopped talking , realising Erza's eyes were full of sadness . Erza , too , didn't want to believe that Lisanna was a witch . She said ," We have no choice , Natsu . You too should know that we have to annihilate all witches from the face of this earth . Even if it's someone we cherish . " Her expression stiffened , she stared down at me . She reminded ," You do remember what that 'Lucy' witch did to your mother , right ? " I stiffened and was speechless . They walked past me . Dad put his hand on my shoulder and said ," Forget it , Natsu . " My whole body flushed with anger . I shouted ," Forget it ?! How could I ?! She's my friend ! I'm not like you , forgetting about mom so easily . " He clenched is fist and grabbed my collar . He said ," I did not forget about Elise . She's still in my heart , I just never talked about it . I had to move on . " His eyes were filled with sadness . I had said something on impulse , and it was hurtful . He closed his eyes and frowned . He said in a low tone ," Do you really think I could forget about the woman I loved most ? She was my everything and one day it all disappeared . I wanted to die , but I had to live on to fulfil her last will of me . And also to protect you . " I lowered my head , realising my fault , I said ," Sorry , dad . I didn't want to bring mom up . I said that on impulse . I'm really sorry , dad . " Dad sighed and said ," It's okay , as long as you realise your mistakes . " That sentence was the sentence mom had always said . She had this thinking that as long as someone knows that they were in the wrong and apologised , she would forgive them wholeheartedly . Yeah , mom was a kind person .

After the Brothers had gone away , I went inside the prison . Cryus's prisons were one of the best prisons in Fiore . Fiore was our continent's name . There were other continents too , but only ours had that many witches . Other continents also had witches , but their numbers were so small that the continent doesn't even seem to realise their existence . Or rather they forgot they existed since the witches rarely showed themselves . On earth , witches were a threat to our human race . I was always curious why the witches in our continent had not fled to the other continents . Some did , but most stayed here . I walked down the brick stairs , the walls were rusty and full of algae . It wasn't foreign to me , I came down here quite frequently , to either kill witches or attend to my father's needs .

The prison bars were old and rusted , I believed any witch would be able to break it if they used their witchcraft on it . But there were unique traits about the cells . Witches were unable to use their powers in the cell . There were also poisonous acid on the poles that only burnt witches but not humans . I was quite fascinated by the science , I'd thought that we could use science to defeat witches with science rather than using up our energy . To activate our magic on our sword , we had to use up our energy . The more powerful our magic on the sword was , the more energy we had to use up . But as we transmute our spiritual energy to our swords , our energy limitation increases , so we would have enough energy to use up for fighting .

I walked down the stairs , Lisanna was sitting deep inside of the cell . She was shivering with fear . She looked at me pitifully . I walked closer to the cell until my whole body touched the bars . I slid my hand through the bars and stretched it out . I was trying to make Lisanna walk to me and try to hug me through the bars . She stood up , her legs wobbling . She called out my name weakly as she walked towards me . When she was in my arms' distance , I pulled her towards me . When she touched the bars , her skin burnt and she screamed in pain . She pushed herself away from me and fell backwards on the ground . She looked at me like I was gonna kill her . I put my hands down , upset . She was a witch , I had confirmed it . I turned my back and leaning on the wall as I sat down . I sighed . Lisanna called out weakly ," N-natsu .. " I had a feeling she was crying . I turned my head to the right and caught a glimpse of Lisanna . Her faced was scarred , it was like a thick line burnt across her right eye . It was still red , due to her face being 'just-burnt' . Her hands were red , I could see all of it in just a glimpse . I shouldn't have done that . I already knew that they confirmed she was a witch , but I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes and I had did it in a way that hurt her .

" Sorry , I- " I had said , trying not to look at her . I felt guilt for what I had done .

" It's fine .. you .. just wanted to see for your own eyes .. and T-that you didn't have any .. intention to hurt me .. " She cut me off , saying it weakly .

There was silence in the air . I stood up and looked at her . She sat deep in the cell , where there was sun . I just realised what she had looked like . Her hair was messy like the Brothers had pulled her long tied up hair , the back of her clothes were torn and her arms were full of cuts . Her ankles were chained to the wall and I could tell she was in pain . I could imagine what they'd done to her just now . Just then , a witch wind blew . I looked to my right and drew out my sword .

" We meet again , Natsu . "

The voice had came from my left , I turned my head again . Lucy stood there , she wore a bluish dress and a cape over it . She was holding a dress folded in half in her hand . I pointed my sword at her and activated Genisys . I was about to swing Genisys when she casted ," Nuisco . " I stopped moving , but my eyes still looked in the same direction , same person . She sighed and said ," Why can't humans think before doing ? How unstrategic . I thought you would , though . " I frowned at her . She said ," You don't need to look at me like that , Natsu . " I asked in a low voice ," What are you doing here . Are you planning on killing someone again ? I won't let you hurt anyone anymore ! " She looked at me , confused . She scoffed and said ," Natsu , it seems you have the wrong impression of me . I don't just kill anyone I see . I kill humans for a specific reason . Today , I didn't come here to kill , Natsu . I came here to save my little ." Sister ? I thought . Lucy sighed and released her spell that she had casted on me . I activated Genisys and swung my sword until it almost cut her neck . It was slightly touching it , burning her skin . She pushed it off her neck , her facial expression not changing . She didn't show an ounce of pain in her expression . I could tell her hand was burning , steam was coming out of it . Just then , blood had come out of her injured neck . She put her other hand on it and said ," Novo . " She touched her neck and realised there was still blood . " Shit , " she said . Lucy can't heal herself ? I took the chance and tried to attack her again .

" Nuisco . Agito ."

I stopped moving . My sword flew out of my hand and broke the lock to Lisanna's cell . It then dropped on the floor . I said ," Wha- Lucy , you ..! " Her eyes widened and she looked sad . She said , " That's the .. first time you called my name since we met after so long ... " I frowned and said ," So what of it ? It doesn't mean a thing . " She let out a laugh , it was like she was laughing at herself . She said ," Yeah it doesn't . What was I thinking .. ?" I picked up my sword and dashed to her . I was about to put my sword through her when I heard a cast being made .

" N- nuisco .. "

Lisanna had casted the spell on me . I stopped moving . She casted again ," Agito . " I was being thrown to the side . Lisanna looked shocked herself . It was like she hadn't meant to do it . Lisanna murmured ," N-natsu .. I .. " Lucy got in the cell and held her hand . She said softly ," Let's go . " Lisanna said ," B-but .. sis .. " Lucy pulled Lisanna out of the cell .

 _Sister ..?_

 _What , Natsu ? She's my little sister ._

 _Lisanna was your .._

 _Yes , she is ._

 _But .. no , you're lying !_

Lucy stopped at her feet and looked at me . She said ," No one can lie in mindspeak , Natsu ." She left off with Lisanna into the woods . The Brothers came down into the cell . One of them asked ," Where's the witch ?! " I was silent , I didn't know whether to tell them I'd let them go or lie to them . I picked up my sword and ran in the direction they had went . Once I'd gotten a clear view of their backs , I aimed to throw it .

 _Let them go , Natsu_ .

It was dad's voice .

 _We can capture them again . No need to risk your life trying to kill them ._

I stopped running . They slowly disappeared out of my sight . I turned around and saw dad . I said ," Dad ! Why - " Dad put out his hand , telling me not to ask him questions . I kept quiet . He explained , " I told you ru to let them go because there are two witches . "

" I can defend myself just fine ! " I argued .

" They are sisters , Natsu . Witches who are or have sisters are very strong . Especially the elder one . Who knows what'll happen if they combine their witchcraft ? I'm guessing you and I know the elder one . And I know you have seen her a few times too . You had the chance too kill her , but why didn't you ? "

" I .. ! I .. " I was speechless . I questioned myself why I didn't kill her when I had the chance.

" You loved her , didn't you ? "

" Dad .. I .. "

" Even so , there must be a time when you're gonna have to kill her without hesitation . "

Dad walked away . Even if I loved her , I have to kill her ! She .. she killed mom .. ! I can't trust her . I thought .


	6. Chapter 6

( Third person point of view , which is not Natsu's )

Lucy and Lisanna ran into the woods . Lisanna pushed Lucy's hands off hers . She stopped and said ," I'm not following you .. ! I'm not going back to Somet ...! " Lucy grabbed her hand and healed her injuries . Lucy frowned and asked ," Why ? Why , Lisanna ? The humans here are so unkind , brutal and judgemental ..! The humans we have back at Somet are much , much better . Trust me , Lis . " Lisanna argued ," You mean the humans back there are much more obedient . Nee-san , we can't just claim the humans as if they are nothing ! In Somet , we treat the humans as if they are tools , but here , humans are treated equally . Nee-san , can't you listen to me this once ? The world here is amazing ! " Lucy grabbed her arm and pulled her . Lisanna swung her arm , making Lucy let go . Lisanna said ," No , Nee-san ! I am not going back ! " Lucy frowned and asked ," Why ? Why won't you listen to me ? " Lisanna sighed and said ," Nee-san , the humans here are kind .. what you experienced last time was when Natsu was a child ! He didn't know anything ! " Lucy got silent , her face darkened . Then , Lucy said ," I don't care anymore ..! Humans are all the same ! " Lucy let go of Lisanna and walked straight ahead . Lisanna wanted to go back to Elliotts when she saw a tear falling on the grass . Lisanna thought ," Nee-san ... " She followed Lucy as she felt bad for making her sister cry .

" Nee-san are you crying ? " Lisanna asked .

" No , I'm not . " Lucy answered back , feeling annoyed at her uncommitted sister .

" Really~? "

" Look , Lisanna . " Lucy stopped walking .

" What ? "

" If you wanna go back to Elliotts , then go . Forget about me and mom and your childhood ! Just go and be with Natsu or something ! Don't be so indecisive like always ! Going back and forth . It's annoying , you know ? It's either you follow me or you stay here . "

" .. Can't we .. live together ..? Can't witches and humans live together ..? "

" .. We can't . It's proven . Witches with try to claim the humans and humans will try to kill us . We both have the urge to do something like that . Unless this world is similar to Somet , we can't live together . "

" But .. "

" No buts , Lis . Mom's waiting for us ."

Lucy and Lisanna walked into a hole under a tree . In there , it was very spacious . At the very end of it was a portal . It was like a door but not very similar to one . Lucy chanted ," Witches will always be . " The portal opened to Somet .

Normal point of view , which is Natsu's .

It was already six in the evening , I was just sitting on the bench when I heard footsteps . It was Erza and she wasn't alone . She was grabbing a girl , a witch , by the back of her collar . She pushed her towards the ground , making her fall down . She pleaded ," Please .. please don't kill me ..! " Erza ignored her and asked ," So , do you want to take he honour of killing her ? " I stood up and looked down at her . I said ," Nah , you do it . I'm not in the mood today . " I walked away , but she grabbed onto my hand . She said ," Please don't kill me ! " Just then , I felt my body losing energy . She was taking away my heat energy rapidly , she smirked at me . I kicked her at her stomach and drew out my sword . I activated Genisys , my energy losing rapidly . She had already took out about a quarter of my energy , and I had needed at least a quarter just to activate my sword's energy . I walked towards her and put my sword through her stomach . She coughed out Black blood . Witches had black blood , as they were witches , they had magic in their blood , causing the redness to turn into black . But Lucy's blood wasn't black . Instead , it was maroon in colour . I too , had no idea why . She'd told me maybe it was because her mom was a witch and her dad was a human . That was when she was a child . When she bled just now , her blood was red . I had no idea what kind of games she was playing .

" Lucy .. she'll kill you ..! " The witch mumbled , her mouth still full of blood .

Erza and I stood rooted to the ground . We looked at each other .

 _How the hell does she know Lucy ?_

 _Well , how the hell would I know , Erza ?_

 _Ask her then , Natsu !_

I grabbed her collar and asked ," How the fuck do you know Lucy ? " She frowned and said ," Of course I know her . She's my witch . I'm her mechanic . " Mechanic , huh . I thought . I pushed her down once again and said ," You finish her off , Erza . I'm done with this . " I walked off . I could hear a sound of a sword slashing , blood had splattered . The mechanic was now dead . What a useless mechanic . She can't even protect herself , how can she protect Lucy? Unless she had been careless and got caught by the ever-sharp and merciless Erza Scarlet . I thought .

Next day , afternoon

" I think I have an idea where Gray is . " Sliver said .

I banged the table and stood up . " What ?! "

" I do have an idea , but I'm not sure whether it's true . " Sliver sighed . " I think it's possible he's in Somet . "

I frowned and said ," Somet ..? You mean as in the witches village ? " Somet was a village , a witches' village . It was full of witches , the humans that were captured there were claimed by the witches . It was almost similar to slavery . Everyone knew about it , but no one knew where or how to get there . They said only the witches knew . But the witches were sworn to secrecy . No witch would tell us where it was or even mentioned it . Somet was the only key to annihilating the witches in our continent . I couldn't imagine what had Gray done to be captured there . I mean like , he's strong , he killed tons of witches as well . Silver replied ," Yes . " He sighed , his eyes were teary . He was about to cry . I bet he couldn't take it that Gray was being tortured by some unknown witch . I put my hand on his and said ," Don't worry , Silver . I'll find- " Dad hit me on the head and said ," DON'T CALL YOUR SUPERIORS BY THEIR NAMES ! " I touched my 'injured' head and said ," Sorry , dad . I'll call him uncle then ..! " Dad hit my head again and said ," CALL HIM SIR AND CALL ME SIR AS WELL ! " I said ," Yes , sir .. "

Sliver asked ," Natsu , will you really be able to find Gray ? " To be honest , I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to find him . I tried to sound assured . " Of course , uncle ! I will try ! " He managed a weak smile at me .

If it was like this , the only connection I had with Somet is Lucy . I had no idea how to get to her , although she always seemed to know where I was . I really disliked the idea that I had to work with her and resist the temptation to kill her . I walked home , then going to my favourite spot .

 _Lucy ..! Lucy ! Where are you ? I need to talk to you_ .

There was no response . I tried calling out to her again , but to no avail . I tried again and again . There was no response . It was like we were cut off . I couldn't sense her no matter how I searched . It was like she was in another world , Somet , probably . I was going to give up when I sensed her in this world . She was in this world once again .

 _Lucy ._

 _Natsu ._

 _Where are you ? We need to talk ._

 _I have nothing to say ._

 _I'm being serious here , stop joking around_ .

Once again , there was silence . I could still sense her , she was still here . So that meant I could connect to her .

 _Meet you at the spot . I'll be waiting ._

I lay down on the grass , looking at the sky . I didn't know how , but I certainly fell asleep .

I was half awake , I felt something under my head . It wasn't my hand , it wasn't grass , it certainly wasn't a rock . I touched it , it was soft , like I was sleeping on a pillow . There was something furry like hair touching my face . It was ticklish . I scratched my face , touching the hair . It was really smooth , like silk .

" Wake up , sleepy head . "

It was certainly her voice . I opened my eyes and stood up . I drew out my sword and pointed it at her . I unknowingly activated Genisys along the line . I said ," What the fuck are you doing here ?! " She stood up slowly and took out her hood . She said ," What is this , you were the one who was desperately calling out to me and making me meet you here . And there you were , sleeping soundly on the ground . I had to finish my business quick , so I had enough time to see you . And you waste so much of my time . " She put her hands on her waists , trying to show she was annoyed . I could clearly tell she wasn't , it was so obvious that she liked watching me sleep . I withdrew my sword and put it back into the casing .

She asked ," So what did you want to talk to me about ? " I explained ," I need to go to Somet ." As I was explaining , she walked over to my mother's grave and kneeled down . She made flowers around it . Then , she stood up and looked at me . " No . I can't bring get you there . I'm not allowed to . "

I frowned and asked ," Why not ? " She walked towards me , I put my hand on my sword , pulling it out a little . She pushed my hand , making the sword push back . She said ," I'm not even suppose to tell you about the Somet . As you humans know , we are sworn to secrecy . If a word leaks out , we will be killed in the worst way . " I scoffed at her and said ," Wow , what a town you have . It's sounds even more horrible than here . " She looked me in the eye and walked even closer to me . She whispered ," I can't , Natsu . If I get killed , you can't have your revenge and you can't get to Somet by yourself . " She was right . I couldn't and other witches would not help . Unless ...

I smirked and put my hand around her waist , on her back . I pulled her towards me . Now , we were close , and I won't let go until she agrees . She looked at me as if I was stupid . She said ," You do know I can petrify your heart in an instant , right ? My time's almost up , I have to go . " I certainly did not think of that factor . Then I thought of a great idea . I suggested ," Then how about we make a trade ? " She asked ," A trade ? " I nodded my head and said ," Yes , a trade . You give me what I want- " She cut me off saying ," Yes , I know what a trade is , I'm not stupid . " I cleared my throat .

 _So you'll give me whatever I want ?_

 _Yes , only if you bring me to Somet ._

 _Okay , doesn't seem too bad ._

 _So what do you want ?_

 _Let me claim you ._


	7. Chapter 7

_Let me claim you ._

 _What-_

 _Let me overtake your will . Just for a day_ .

I asked ," Are you fucking sane ? " She looked at me with wide eyes . She said ," Yes , I'm sane and I'm fucking serious . " She definitely wasn't lying . I let go of her and she pushed herself away from me . She said ," I'm sorry , it was selfish of me to say that . I need to go . Bye . " She walked away . I couldn't miss this opportunity , although it meant giving my whole life to her . Then , I might as well kill her then kill myself after ! I grabbed her hand and said ," Wait ! I told you we need to talk . You can't just go like that ! " She pulled her hand downwards , my hand let go . She frowned at me and asked ," You would give up your life for someone like me ..? That's just absurd , Natsu . Are you even sane ? " She rolled her eyes at me and said ," I gotta go . "

" I'll do it . I'll be your mechanic , so just .. Bring me to Somet , please .. ! Lucy , please ..! "

Since Lisanna was a witch , there was a high chance of her being there as well . I could kill a bird with two stones . She stopped walking . I could tell she'd regretted what she had asked for . She didn't want me to be claimed by her , neither did I . I had to be claimed by someone I'd resented . It could be the worst day of my life .

 _We meet here tomorrow morning at 9 , got it ?_

 _Okay ._

 _Tell your father you might not be going home . It's going to be tough there , you also have to leave your sword here . But feel free to bring a knife with an engraved Genisys on it ._

 _Okay ._

 _Your words are short . Do you want me to leave that fast ?_

 _Yes . I want this to be over quick , so I can take my revenge on you_ .

Well , it'd be weird if you didn't hate me . I'll be waiting for your revenge , Natsu Dragneel .

I witnessed her walk away . I walked home with mixed feelings . I opened my back door , only to see dad looking at me . He was folding his arms , he looked stern . He called ," Natsu . " I walked past him and asked ," What ? " I could hear his foot steps following mine . He said ," You met up with her , right ? " I stopped at my feet and turned around . I said ," Yeah . I'll be going on my mission to find Gray tomorrow . " I headed back to my room .

The next day

I was cooking breakfast when dad woke up . He said ," I smell breakfast .. Oh , Natsu . You're cooking .. WAIT WHAT ? NATSU , YOU'RE COOKING ?! " I haven't cooked for quite a while , and everytime I did .. It was a disaster . I said ," Don't worry dad . It won't be a disaster this time . Although I can't guarantee it's taste . " He walked to me and patted my shoulder .

 _I'm sorry , son ._

 _For what ?_

 _For not protecting your mother and having you to cook ._

 _It's okay , dad . And why are you talking about this so suddenly ?_

 _I just suddenly thought of it ._

 _It'll be fine dad ! I'll cook it so that it'll taste nice_ !

He sighed and said ," You're as dense as ever .. " I didn't understand what he said . I just grinned at him and continued cooking . When I turned back to the food , it was already .. black . I was too focused on talking to dad that I'd forgotten about the food . Dad hit my head and said ," I do it ! You go and wait ! Idiot son .. ! "

After eating breakfast , I changed into my usual clothes and put on my scarf . Then I just remembered I had to bring a knife with Genisys engraved in it .

It was hard to engrave a Genisys' spiritual energy in any type of sword . It was really hard to obtain a high level of energy like Genisys . We had to concentrate on out energy for days , not eating nor sleeping . We meditated and increased our energy force field . As it increases , our energy level also increases . Once our spiritual energy reached the criteria , we transmute the energy into the sword , giving it all of our energy . But for me , it was a special case . I was 14 , and I was hunting for some food when I encountered a powerful witch . I was on the verge of death when I had found the strength and amout on concentration to take in all of the energy that surrounded me . I instantly used it and directly hit it on the witch . She was severely injured , I took up my sword and cut off her head . After that day , I was in a coma state for days . I didn't wake up for days . After I woke up , my sword already had Genisys in it . Dad told me I had transfered energy in it while I was sleeping . I found it strange . How did I manage to have the energy and concentration to take in all the energy around me instantly ? It was like someone gave it to me .

*knock*

I turned around and saw dad . He was playing with a knife , a melee . He threw it at me and I manged to catch it . " Use that . It's your mother's . She told me to give it to you when the time was right ," Dad said. I asked ," Cool . What level is this ? " He leaned on the wall and replied ," Light . "

" Light ?! Why- " I was honestly surprised . I didn't know that mom had a Light leveled sword .

" I know . I know . Your mother was a hell of a hunter . She was awesome and cool . That's what made me fall for her , " Dad said , smiling to himself .

" Are you being serious ?! She was a hunter ?! " I was really surprised by now . She had that kind and caring aura , I couldn't imagine her killing .

" Yeah . " Dad replied , he seemed sadder now .

I looked at the clock . I was late . Crap , I thought . I quickly put the melee into my bag pack and said ," Dad , I'm late . I needa go real fast . " I could hear his smile . I walked past him and said ," Bye . " I went out by the back door .

Lucy was folding her arms . She was annoyed . When I got in her sight , she shouted ," NATSU DRAGNEEL ! YOU ARE LATEE ! YOU SHOULD KNOW HATE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PUNCTUAL ! Geez , now we're late for the appointment . " She turned her back and started walking . I followed her and said ," Your hatred towards me now can't be compared to my hatred towards you . " She didn't say anything . I asked ," What appointment are we going to ? " She looked at me and said ," My appointment . You wanted to see Lis , right ? She'll be there . We're having a meeting , discussing for some political matters . " I stopped , wanting to pull out my melee and ask for Lis back . She stopped and said ," I am not going to give Lis back any time now . And if you take out your melee , you're definitely not coming to Somet with me . So if feel free to take it out . It's your choice . " Lucy had always been a very sharp person , she seemed to notice everything . I walked and said ," Let's go . " Now , we were walking beside each other . For some reason , I was feeling weird . I was feeling excited , yet I was hating the moment right now .

 _Feeling weird ?_

 _Yeah ._

 _Knew it . You're making a very weird face right now_ .

She giggled to herself . I felt even weirder . I asked ," When are we gonna reach ? " She said ," Just a little more . " I tried memorising the woods . " Don't try to memorise it . The woods change everytime . Everyday . Only a witch knows where it is ," Lucy said , startling me .

 _How'd you know what I was doing ?_

 _I know everything ._

 _Yeah right . Then tell me what I'm feeling right now ._

 _Your heart is telling you that you like this very moment . But your head is telling you that you hate this very moment ._

 _You've gotta be kidding me ._

 _I'm sort of kidding you ._

Just then , she stopped and walked towards a tree . I followed her . She said ," Intrenisco . " The ground shook , I almost lost my balance when Lucy grabbed onto my hand . Her grip was firm , she didn't even lose her balance . Once the shaking stopped , she held my hand and led me down the dark cave . I tried to make her release my hand but she held on .

 _Stop trying to make me loosen my grip on your hand . You'll get lost in here without me ._

 _Get lost ? Yeah right ._

 _I can bring you here another time and you can try . But I'm in a hurry now ._

In the dark , my creststone shone light and filled the cave with light . Lucy hit me with her other hand and said ," Stop that ! I'm burning , can't you see ? You're hurting me . " I asked ," So what if I am ? I can't see it the dark ! " She sighed and said ," Well , I can . I can see in the dark perfectly , so stop shining light . " I sighed and stopped my creststone from shining the light . I sighed annoyingly . She said ," Don't sigh yet . You can sigh for me later . " Just then , we reached the end of the cave . There was a door-like door , but it wasn't really one . Lucy said ," Witches will always be . " Suddenly , there was wind and it blew hard . Then , there was an tremendous amount of energy surrounding the door . The portal opened , creating a huge force field . Lucy walked in first , I followed her . I was in the portal , and it felt dizzy . After a while , I opened my eyes and found myself in a forest , lying in the grass .

" Natsu ! Wake up ! Natsu ! "

That was the voice that woke me up . Lucy's panicky voice . I said ," Lucy ..? " She hugged me and said ," You're alright ..! " I blushed . She pushed herself away , her hand still on my shoulder . She said ," Sorry . I forgot that you hated me . " I was feeling really weird . Our faces were still close , despite the fact that our bodies weren't . She used my shoulder and got up slowly . Once she got up , she offered her hand to pull me up . I was a little lazy to get up by myself , so I accepted her hand and she pulled me up . I guess I was a little heavy for her . When she pulled me up , she almost fell backwards , so I put my hands around her waist to prevent her from falling . Now, her face was on my shoulder , we looked like we were hugging . Concicidently , her face was on my creststone , it burnt her face . She pushed herself away from me and fell on the ground . She said ," Ouch. " I laughed at her clumsiness . She didn't even need to cast a healing spell , she just took algae from the tree nearest to her and put it on her face . It healed in seconds .

 _Yes , in Somet we don't need to cast healing spells , so stop looking so amazed ._

 _Okay .. WE'RE ALREADY IN SOMET ?!_

She looked at me and said ," Yes , dumb head . " She walked ahead and said ," Follow me . I'll show you the way to town . "


	8. Chapter 8

As Lucy walked , I followed her as I looked around . Just then , she stopped and I bumped into her . She said ," Watch where you're going . Don't just look around . " I looked past her . I saw an enormous big door . It looked like the gateway to 'town' . There were two male guards in front of the door . Lucy said ," Heartfillia ." She pulled down her dress a little and showed the crest on her collarbone . One of the guards nodded his head and Lucy pulled her dress up again . She walked past them , and so did I . But one of the guards said ," Agito . " Naturally , I flew backwards and hit the tree . I was about to take out my melee when Lucy ran to me covered for me .

 _Don't take it out . You'll get killed ._

She said ," He's one of my mechanics . Don't hurt him . I just captured him from Cyrus . " The guards looked at each other . I could tell they were talking in mindspeak . They nodded their heads . The bulkier one said ," Show us his crest then . " Lucy replied without hesitating ," He's still ripe . I haven't got the time to make him mine yet . " The bulkier guard said ," Then how about now ? It just takes a few seconds . " She sighed and frowned . Then she whispered to herself ," I'm late already , darn it . " She kneeled down to match my height . She whispered ," Sorry ."

 _Relax and concentrate all your energy on me . Transmute it to me . Then I'll of the rest ._

 _What ? You've got to be kidding me . You're claiming me right here right now ?_

 _Yes . If I don't , they'll kill you ._

 _Then why don't you let them ?_

 _Shut up and do as I say . Now ._

I closed my eyes , let out a breath and concentrated energy on Lucy . Giving energy to her means I giving myself to her . I gathered all my energy and transmuted it all to her . After that , I became dizzy . She said ," Easy , easy . Relax . Breathe in and out . " Annoyingly , her voice was soothing to my ears . I did as told . I could hear her smile . She whispered ," Good . Open your eyes slowly . " I slowly opened my eyes , Lucy's face was right in front of mine . She was smiling at me . For some reason , her face was calming . She slowly leaned towards me , putting her hand on the back of my neck . Instinctively , I leaned towards her . Our lips locked . Her lips were so smooth and I couldn't deny how sweet that kiss was . I pushed myself towards her , deepening the kiss . As it was getting better , she pushed herself away from me and said ," Time out , Natsu . " Both of us panted for air . She wiped her lips and kissed me again . This time , it wasn't as erotic as the previous one . She was giving me something . I could feel a sphere containing magic going in my throat . I swallowed it . She broke off the kiss and stood up . She said ," Done . Now let us through . I'm late for an appointment . " I was dazed by that kiss . It was like my energy was refilled . I felt different though . A witches' power was now in my creststone afterall . Just then , I felt a burn on my left collarbone . I said ," Ouch. " Lucy said ," Don't worry , it's just a crest burnt there . It's your identity here . "

Then , the guards gave way . Lucy said ," Come on , slow poke . " I stood up and followed her . The town was crowded , it was just like Cyrus . Except it was filled with witches . I could feel witch wind surrounding the air and I was tempted to take out my melee and kill all the witches . But something was resisting me to do it . I was Lucy's and she was resisting me to do it .

 _Don't give in to your temptation . Since your willpower it's incredibly strong , I can't hold out for much longer . You have to learn to control ._

 _I get it ._

Honestly , I found it hard to control . But I had to . I would've been killed if I couldn't . As we were walking , the witches were looking at me . They kept staring at me . Strangely , they were all wearing capes . Lucy noticed the amount of people looking at me and walked over to me . She opened her cape and said ," Come here . " I obediently walked to her and she put her cape over me . Even if I didn't want to go there , I had to . She whispered ," Intransico . " I felt wind gathering around us . I closed my eyes . I couldn't feel the ground . Then , I felt the ground again . I opened my eyes and saw Lucy standing in front me .

 _Keep calm and do not run to Lis . Your head will be cut off if you do ._

 _Why ?_

 _Well , obviously it's a rule here that other witches' mechanics cannot go to another witch . They have to keep a distance ._

I whispered ," Got it . " Then , Lucy pushed open the doors . It was an high ceiling room , almost like a palace room . Lucy said ," I'm sorry I'm late . Got caught up with some matters . " I noticed an very cunning looking woman . She looked around her late 30s , her face showed annoyance . She said ," It's okay . Sit down . " Well to me , she didn't look 'okay' . Lucy lifted up her skirt slightly and bowed to her . The woman looked at me , frowning . She was definitely not pleased with me just standing there . Lucy nudged my hand wih her elbow .

 _Bow to her ! She's the step-sister of the Queen ._

I bowed my head slightly . Now , she looked a little more pleased . Lucy sat down a seat that was opposite the woman's . The woman began ," Shall we begin with the tax rate ? " Just then , the door opened . I looked behind . It was Lisanna . Somehow, there weren't any scars on her face anymore . I guess she healed herself . She wore a long pink dress with laces and her hair was in a bun with a little crown in front . She said ," Sorry I'm late- I'm sorry I'm late .. " She paused for a moment after looking at me .

 _Lisanna .. !_

There was no response . She bowed to the woman and sat beside Lucy . I was standing to the left of Lucy , while Lisanna sat on her right . The woman said ," Geez , another one late . You sisters are too much . "

 _Lisanna .._

 _Natsu , what are you doing here ?_

 _I needed to find someone . Are you okay ? Are they doing anything to you ? You're not being tortured , right ?_

 _Geez you worry too much ._

" ...na. Lisanna ! " Lisanna jumped up , shocked . Lucy asked ," Lis , you okay ? " The woman asked ," Why aren't you listening ?! " Lisanna said ," S-sorry .. I was distracted by something . " I was about to speak up for her when Lucy stopped me .

 _Don't ._

 _Why not ?!_

 _You'll get killed if you do . In Somet , we have very strict rules . Don't worry , Lis is the princess-to-be , so they won't do anything to her ._

 _Then what about you ? Aren't you older than her ?_

 _I'm the Princess . They can't do anything to me ._

 _Princess .._

" ..cy . Lucy ... " The woman growled . Lucy said ," I think we should lower the tax rate for the people . From what I observe , they are suffering from lack of food . We should lower it . " Lisanna said ," I agree with Nee-san . Let's lower it , Rina-aunt . " Apparently , Rina was the name of the woman . The name 'Rina' was too much of a cute name for a cunningly looking woman like her . Rina nodded her head and said ," Alright . We shall . Meeting ends here . You are dismissed . " As she stood up , everyone stood up and bowed to her ." Lucy said ," Let's go , Natsu . You need to find someone , don't you ? " Just then , Lisanna grabbed Lucy's hands and said ," Nee-san , can't I talk to Natsu ? " Lucy said ," No . I'm sorry . Maybe some time later . We are busy and he probably wants to end this as soon as he can . " I said ," No ! I mean , this can go on for a bit longer , so just let me talk to her . " Lucy frowned and said ," No . " She pulled me away . I hated her for that .

 _Sorry . You can't now . There's a lot of guards in the morning ._

 _Whatever ._

She then let go of my hand and said ," Go then ! I don't care anymore ! " She stomped off . What's wrong with her ? My heart ached for a while . I went back and Lisanna was still in the room . She was sitting down , her face full of worries . When I entered , she stood up and said ," Natsu ! Did Nee-san give you permission afterall ?" I shook my head . She put her hand on my arm and asked ," Did it hurt coming here ? " I shook my head and pulled her arm close to me . I hugged her and said ," I'm okay . How about you? Did they do anything to you ?" I looked down at her , she looked up at me . She inched forward and was about to kiss me . For some reason , my mind told me it was wrong to kiss her . I naturally backed off . She asked ," What's wrong ? " Just then , the doors were kicked open . Both of us looked at the door . There were guards , a lot of them . They were about to cast spells , I could tell . I turned my back and shielded for Lisanna . I closed my eyes . I heard the spell being casted , but it didn't hit us . All I heard was a thump on the floor . Someone had collapsed , it definitely wasn't me nor Lisanna . I felt my heart tighten . It was a million times more painful than a 'Evanesco' spell . My legs gave out , I fell onto the ground . Lisanna squatted down and asked ," Natsu , you okay ?! " I looked slightly to the back . I saw strands of blonde hair on the ground . Just then , a group of people ran in the room and casted all kinds of spells at the guards . The guards immediately flew back and hit the wall . I saw Gray . He was shaking her .

Lucy .. ? Gray .. ?


	9. Chapter 9

I opened my eyes halfway , only to see a blurred vision of a girl .

" It's okay , I'll deal with him . "

It was Lucy's voice . The door was closed shut . Now , my vision was clear . Lucy sat down beside me . Her hair was not tied up , I noticed how long and beautiful it was . I unknowingly reached out to run my fingers through her hair . She grabbed my hand and asked ," Do you get what I mean by you'll get killed if you go near other witches now ? " She pushed my hand away and stood up . She folded her arms and walked away from me . She was angry with me . I could sense her anger in that question . I sat up , only to find my heart aching . I knew that somehow , we became closer due to the incident that happened . I said ," Ouch .. " She turned and looked at me . She sighed and walked to me and sat beside me again . She asked ," Where does it hurt ? " I could feel that she really cared about me even though she was angry at me . When I saw that caring side of her , it reminded me of our childhood . I suddenly felt like hugging her , so I did . I said ," I'm so sorry . I'm glad you're okay . " She pushed me away and stood up , her back facing me . I tilted my head slightly and realised that her ears were red . Is she blushing ..? I thought . Maybe her face was red because she got so angry her face turned red . Just then , the door opened . Lucy was standing in front of me , so she blocked my view of the person .

" Lucy , I think it's best I train him . "

I stood up out if shock . There it was , the voice I had wanted to hear for the past two years . Lucy turned back and asked ," What's wrong ? It's as if you saw a ghost . " I looked past her , and saw Gray . He looked better than ever . I mumbled ," G-gray ..? " Lucy said ," Oh yeah , you guys met before right- " I cut her off by grabbing her by her collar . I pushed her until she hit the wall . I heard Gray's footsteps but he stopped .

 _Stop it , Natsu . It's Lucy's orders ._

 _Why should I listen to her orders._

 _Because she's our master ._

 _Master ? Yeah right ._

Lucy sighed and said ," Get off me . " I ignored her order . She said in a louder and commanding voice , " I said . Get . Off . " Like a dog obeying its master's orders , I obeyed . I put her down gently and walked back . I had to do it even if I didn't want to . Just then , I heard footsteps outside . It was definitely a woman . Gray opened the door . I looked behind . Lucy said ," Ah , Aquarius . You're here . " Aquarius had long blue hair , she was wearing a light blue coloured dress . Her eyes were sharp , her pupils big , she had a heart shaped lip , just like Lucy . She had that overpowering , superiority kind of aura . The moment she opened her mouth , I knew she was going to scold Lucy . She said ," Lucy heartfillia .. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SHIELD FOR THAT .. BASTARD LOOKING GUY ?! " Lucy sweat dropped and said , " Gomen , Aquarius . For worrying you . " Aquarius folded her arms and looked away . She said ," I-it's not like I was that worried . " Aquarius looked at me for a second before walking out of the room .

 _Natsu , Gray will in charge of your training ._

 _Training ? For what ?_

 _To protect me ._

 _For what ?_

 _Because you're my mechanic . And you have to protect me . It's your duty ._

 _Duty ? Yeah right . I don't give a damn about your safety ._

After that , she didn't reply . She just looked at me with a sad expression . She said ," It hurts me to know that you really don't care about me . " She walked out of the room . I wanted to follow her , but Gray held onto me . He said ," Sorry , but I'm not letting you go . If I let you follow Lucy , you're just gonna hurt her even more ." I frowned at him . He sighed and let go of my let go of my hand . He smiled and said ," Long time no see , my friend . I'm sorry that we have to meet like this- " I punched him and said ," How could you just leave like that ?! Do you know how much your dad misses you ?! " He wiped his blood off his lips and said ," I know my leaving of Cyrus was a big shock to all of you . Including dad . But I had to . I'd promised Lucy . " I was about to say something when the door opened . There she was , standing at the door wearing all white dress that matched her hair colour . Lisanna walked towards me with a worried look . Gray stood forward and blocked her way . Lisanna said ," Do you wanna get killed too ? If you don't , then get out of my way . " He replied smoothly without a doubt , " I don't and I have a special permit to be able to get close with my master's relatives . Do you want Natsu to get killed ? " She frowned at him , she had clearly lost in the conversation . She said ," Then , I'll just say it from here . " Gray put down his hand . She began ," Natsu , are you alright ? Did Lucy taking on a spell make you suffer from heartache ? " Gray replied ," Obviously , it did . " Lisanna frowned at him . I replied ," Nah , I'm okay . "

 _You know that it did , Natsu . Your heart ached when you woke up , right ?_

 _I don't want to make her worried ._

Lisanna said ," I'm sorry , Natsu .. " I wanted to walk to her , but something was holding me back . I frowned at myself . Lisanna then asked ," Where's Nee-san ..? " Gray replied ," She walked off because of someone . She's in her study . " Lisanna thanked Gray and walked out . I sighed and sat on the bed . Gray sat beside me and whispered ," Wanna spar ? It's been a while . " I smirked and said ," I'm going to win you this time . " Gray brought me to a arena looking place . I asked ," It's still sunny ? It's like the same time of the day . Did I sleep for like a little only ? " Gray scoffed at me and said ," No , you slept like a pig . It's already the next day . " He handed me a wooden sword and got one for himself . After we sparred , Lucy called out to us .

 _Gray , Natsu . Come to my study . We've got a job_ .

Gray and I looked at each other .

" Let's go . "

As we were walking to her study , I noticed that the place we were in wasn't the place where I was attacked . I asked out of curiosity ," So , Gray . Where is this place ? " He replied ," It's Lucy's palace . Her castle . " My mouth was wide open . Gray pushed up my jaw and said ," Didn't she tell you ? That she was the Princess ? " I said ," Yeah , she did .. " I looked outside . The view was incredibly beautiful . " It's beautiful , right ? " I nodded my head . " Come on , Lucy's waiting . " Gray walked faster , I followed his pace . We walked by a few rooms before arriving at her study . The door was tall , it reached the ceiling . The design on the door was beautiful , like some artist painted it . Gray knocked on the door . " I'm coming in . " He pushed the doors open . Lucy was sitting down on her chair , wearing round oval spectacles . I noticed that she was wearing a sleeping gown . She was looking at papers . The chair she sat was tall , it was about twice the length of Lucy's upper body . I walked in , looking around . The study was filled with books . On each side of the walls were bookshelves . Right behind Lucy's study table was a huge window , on each side were red curtains .

Lucy stood up and threw a scroll to Gray . He caught it smoothly . I looked over at the scroll , but Gray blocked my view . " That scroll's only for Gray . This is yours , " Lucy said , throwing a scroll at me . I caught it , but it dropped on the floor . Lucy said ," Your catching is bad . Learn how to control your hand stability . " I frowned at her and opened the scroll . I read the details in the scroll .

The humans have captured a rebel witch . Eliminate her before she spills anything .

" What's a rebel witch ? Aren't the witches sworn to secrecy not to spill any information ? " I asked , folding my arms .

" A rebel witch .. is an exile . Basically , all the exiles go to Rebellion City . " Lucy answered , standing up .

" Then , I'll go on my mission for now . " Gray said . He bowed to Lucy and left the room .

" Rebellion City ? " I asked .

" It's a small village where the exiles are sent to . It's usually locked , but one special witch found a way out . She's the reason how you humans got the information about Somet . " Lucy looked outisde the window .

" Then .. she's .. Fiona ..?! The witch's queen sister ?! "

" Yes . "

" But she's already .. "

" We killed her , " Lucy said bluntly , without a hint of regret .

I was speechless . " I know you humans favour her . " She walked to me and joked ," Why the long face ? Make it a short one . " She patted my shoulder . " Let's go . "

Lucy walked out of her study , and went into the next room to the right of her study . I guessed that it was her room . She waved her hands each towards the opposite directions . The doors opened . She walked in . I just stood there , not knowing what to do . She looked at me and said ," What are you doing ? Come on in . " I walked in the room . I was looking around when the door shut . I got a shock from the sudden closing of doors . I turned my head , shocked . " Just ignore that . It's not like you've never seen my magic before . " I turned my head again , this time looking at her . Lucy took off her gown , exposing her naked back . I turned around and closed my eyes . She asked ," What's wrong ? " Does she really not know what's wrong ? I thought .

 _What's wrong , Natsu ? Come here and pick a dress for me ._

 _I.. I can't .._

 _Why not ?_

 _Y-you're not dressed .. At least put some clothes on ..!_

 _But I'm changing . I'm too lazy to put on clothes ._

 _Then I'm not going !_

 _Just come ._

Obeying her orders , I walked to her , eyes closed . I looked inside her wardrobe . She had tons of dresses and she wants me to choose one for her . I looked at the dresses . I looked at Lucy and asked ," Where's the golden rose dress you wore when you first met .. me ..? Surely .. you .. can .. enlarge .. it .. right ..? " Lucy asked , "Why are you stuttering ? You're even blushing . " I put my hands on my cheeks , covering them . I turned away . She asked ," Are you that embarrassed looking at a girl's naked body ? " I nodded my head . She sighed and took out a dress . She moved her right hand in a outward motion , enlarging the dress . I looked at her as she put on her dress . She turned her back on me and said ," Help me tie . " I helped her tie it tight . She put on her cape and said ," Let's go . "


	10. Chapter 10

" Just get out ! " Lucy shouted as she kicked me out . She slammed the doors shut . She wouldn't let me know what stuff she was going to get ready for not matter what . I sighed and looked outside . The level I was on was quite high . I looked down at the town . I leaned on the walls .

" Well , sorry . But I can't tell you what I'm bringing . "

I looked at her , giving her a irritated look . " What ? Can't I have my own private stuff to bring ? " She folded her arms .

I asked ," Even after you've shown me stuff that I'm not even supposed to see ? " I stood up straight and started walking . She followed behind me and said ," Still , I'm allowed to keep private information and stuff , right ? " I replied in a sigh ," Yes , yes , Princess . " She let out a laugh and said ," You sound sarcastic . " Just then , I sensed Lisanna nearby . Lucy stood in front of me and used her arm to block my way . Lisanna was there , just that she wasn't alone . I sensed someone else . A girl . I took a step back .

" ... Nee-san . Hello , Natsu . "

Lisanna's voice sounded worn out , like she'd gone through some intense training . It was also coarse , I'm guessing she didn't drink water either . The girl stood beside her , wearing a shirt and pants instead of a dress . She looked tough , like Erza . Lisanna smiled at Lucy and said ," This is Mirajane , my other Nee-san . You can call her Mira . " Lisanna had some sarcasm in her sentence , as if she was trying to make Lucy jealous . Mira looked like Lisanna , they really looked like sisters . But Lucy and Lisanna's appearance were so different , including their attitude . Mira introduced ," I'm Mirajane Strauss , Lisanna's mechanic . Nice to meet you . I see you've been nice to my little sister very often , thank you . " She put out her hand , wanting me to shake it . I reached out mine , only to find Lucy pushing it back . Lucy glared at Mira and said ," She's my little sister . " They were staring at each other so intensely , their stares could kill . I pushed Lucy's arm away and went in between them . I said ," Luce , we have to go . Now . We're already late . " I had not looked at Lisanna ever since Lucy had ' challenged ' Mira with a 'staring contest' . I held Lucy's hand and pulled her away . She kept ' telling me to stop and to let her go back and fight that bitch ' . Soon , we reached the garden .

" Why did you pull me away ..?! " Lucy frowned and breathed in a angry manner . She folded her arms and looked away .

" She's just trying to agitate you . You don't have to get so flustered over something small . " I explained , trying to reason out .

" Small ?! Something small ?! It is not ! " Now , she was irritated and agitated . I realised I had made it worse .

" Don't be so sensitive , Luce . "

She looked at me , eyes widened . She asked ," Did you just call me Luce ? " I nodded my head and asked ," What , I can't ? " Lucy's irritation and agitation had disappeared in a few seconds just by me calling her 'Luce' . She walked towards me and said ," T-that's not it .. it's just that .. it's been so long .. " I held her hand and said ," Let's go . " She scoffed at me and said ," But you don't even know how to go . I'll lead you . "

She brought me to an underground tunnel through the kitchen . She held my hand as we walked . The maids were all looking at me strangely . It was dark in the tunnel , but my creststone wouldn't shine light by itself , so I tried to make it shine light . It wouldn't shine no matter what . " Stop trying to shine light . It won't work , " Lucy said . I tried again , but it wouldn't work . " I told you so . " I frowned and asked ," Why ? " She sighed and said ," You humans just don't listen , do you ? " Just then , we reach the end on the tunnel . There was light shinning below the walls on the right . Lucy waved her left hand in a circular motion . The door opened . Lucy let go of my hand and walked out . I was just about to walk out when she put her palm in my face .

 _Stay here ._

 _Why ?_

 _Just follow my orders ..!_

She closed the door . I couldn't see , but I could hear a conversation going on .

" Hello ...? " It was Lucy's voice .

" Ah ..! Lucy ! " It was a guy's voice . A deep and low voice but it had a caring tone .

" How long has it been .. ? "

" I don't know , haha . "

" So .. I think me and my mechanic will be using this route for a few more weeks I guess . We'll be using it frequently . "

" But you're here alone .. Where's gray ? "

" Oh , he's on his mission . By the way , I have claimed a new mechanic . I didn't want him to scare you , Lyon . So I asked him to stay there for now . "

I heard footsteps nearing me . The door opened , I was expecting to see Lucy but it wasn't her . It was a man . He looked well built . His hair colour had the same shade of white like Lisanna and sharp grey eyes . He said ," Well , hello . I'm Lyon . " He offered a hand to pull me up . I accepted the offer and he pulled me up . From that pull , it was quite obvious he was strong .

" Nice to meet you , as I said , I'm Lyon . " Lyon smiled a little .

" Nice to meet you too , I'm Natsu How'd you get so strong ? " I tried to smile back .

" Oh , that . I didn't get the strength myself . My witch trained me . "

" Oh , your witch ... "

Lyon walked to Lucy and put his arm over her shoulders , while Lucy put her arm around his waist . He said proudly ," And this , is the girl who broke my heart and kicked me out of her mind . " What ? I thought . I said ," You mean .. she .. ? What do you mean kicked you out of her mind ..? " He explained ," Well , basically she was my first love and she flat out rejected me hard . She was also my first witch . "

" You mean you had other witches as well ? " I asked , going to sit on a chair that was nearby .

" One , which is Lucy . And now , I'm totally into my witch . She's amazing and awesome ! But she has kind of a crush towards Gray . " He replied excitedly .

" Who is she ? "

" Juvia . You should see her looks . She's pretty like a doll . "

He was smiling so brightly , I could tell he was in love . Lucy said ," Come on , what happened to us was the past . Let bygones be bygones . We're good friends now , aren't we ? Alright , story's over . Let's go . " Lyon patted her shoulder and said ," Yeah ." She pulled me up as I was sitting down . She said ," Let's go . " I nodded my head as they said their goodbyes .

Lucy opened a wooden door , beyond it was the town . There was stores selling food , vegetables , fruits , etc. I followed Lucy as she walked out . Many people greeted her as we walked .

 _Aren't you the Princess ? Don't people bow to you ?_

 _Oh , the townspeople don't know I'm the Princess ._

 _Oh ._

 _So keep your mouth shut and don't tell anyone ._

 _Why ?_

 _Because the witches want my blood ._

 _What ?_

 _They say that if people drink my blood , they will be immortal ._

 _I grabbed her hand , not believing her story . She looked at me and said ," Believe it or not , it's true . " She shook off my hand and continued walking . As we walked through the crowd , there also people staring at me ._

 _Why do they keep staring at me ?_

 _It's because I'm a powerful known witch in Somet , and a guy other than gray is following me . It would be quite obvious that you're my mechanic . Be careful , though . The witches might try to claim you ._

 _Oh .. I see ._

Finally , we reached the gate that we went through when I came here . Lucy pushed it open and walked out . I followed her . We walked into the woods .

" Where are we going ? " I asked .

" To Cyrus . " She replied bluntly .

" What ? Why ? "

" We have to fulfil our mission , have you forgotten ? "

" You mean the Brothers captured a rebel witch ? "

" Yes , they did . And they are going to interrogate her soon . That's why we have to kill her as soon as possible before she exposes anything . "

" But the Brothers don't interrogate , we just kill them . "

" That's what you think . They secretly interrogate them before you kill them . You do remember the time period given to the Brothers before asking you to kill her right ?"

" .. Yeah . "

" That was the time they interrogated . Do you believe me now ? "

I nodded my head . Just then , we arrived at the spot where I woke up . Lucy put her hand out and said ," Grab it ." I obeyed her orders and held her hand . She pulled me closer and we were really close . She chanted some words and I got a black out .

I opened my eyes , finding myself in the dark cave we were in when we went to Somet . I felt energy rushing into my creststone as I stood there . I felt alive for an instance . My creststone shone light and lit up the room .

" Don't do that . I told you , it burns . "

I willed my creststone to stop shining light . Lucy held my hand in the dark and led me out the cave . My eyes hurt when I walked out the cave as we were in the dark for a full whole five minutes . I frowned as I closed my eyes shut . Lucy hit my forehead and said ," Stop frowning all the time . You'll get wrinkles . Smile and laugh more ! " I could hear her smile . I slowly opened my eyes . The first thing I saw was her smile . I couldn't help but smile back . Her smile was as bright as the sun , probably the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen . I loved her smile the best . She asked ," Are you okay ? You're smiling to yourself . What a weird guy . " She scoffed at me and started walking . I watched her as she walked . She turned around and said ," What are you doing ? Come on , let's go . Interrogation time is starting . "


	11. Chapter 11

Lucy and I walked quietly as we entered the camp . She walked in front of me , looking out . I heard some footsteps and pulled her back towards me . The guards walked past us . I heaved a sigh of relief . Lucy was silent . I looked at her , and realised how close she was to me . I was literally back hugging her , my hands around her and holding her hands . I released her . " Sorry , I was just .. " She nodded her head . That was when I noticed her extremely red face . She was looking at the ground .

" Natsu ? "

I turned and looked behind me . " Kei . " He frowned and took a step towards me . He asked ," Where were you ? Everyone's looking for you . And you're with a witch ? Why aren't you killing her ? " I took a step back , using my hand to block Lucy . For a strange reason , I felt defensive towards Kei . I stayed silent . He continued ," Why aren't you saying anything ? Don't tell me .. Have you betrayed us ? Your father , who hates witches the most in this world ? " I felt fury in his sentence . He was getting serious . Dead serious . I glanced at Lucy first before looking into his eyes once again . He said ," You traitor ! "

He drew out his sword and slashed it at me . I pushed Lucy away and avoided his attacks . I was about to take out my melee when he suddenly diverted his attacks towards Lucy . I panicked . I knew Lucy was able to dodge that and cast ' Evanesco ' but at that moment of time , there was nothing on my mind . I only had one thing on my mind .

To save Lucy from being stabbed .

I ran over to her as fast as I could . As I stood in front of her , I felt a very sharp pain in my abdomen . After feeling that pain , everything was black . I couldn't see anything .

Was I dead ? Was this the end ?

" Natsu ! Wake up ! DON'T DIE ! "

I could see a blurred vision of Lucy crying .

Don't cry , Lucy ...

I couldn't see anything . Everything was pitch black . I was lying on the grass , just like I did when I got slashed . I slowly got up . Just about a mile afar , I could see a view of myself and Lucy .

I was on the ground and I was bleeding . Blood was all around , and it was on Lucy's hands . She was crying . She was healing me when the guards took her away . She tried to get away from them but they chained her legs and dragged her away . The chains were hurting her , and I felt sad . She kept crying and crying . I followed where the guards took her , leaving myself behind . The guards were torturing her , telling her to speak up . She just kept crying . Then my dad came in the room , with his sword . He activated Light and put it above his head . He slashed it through .. her neck .

I forced myself to wake up . I gained consciousness . Lucy was crying and was trying to heal me . I heard the Brothers' footsteps . They were coming closer . I tried to get up . Lucy pushed me down and said ," No , you can't get up . I need to heal you right now .. ! " I tried getting up again , my stomach giving me pain . I groaned . I took a glance at Lucy , and wiped her tears away . I said ," They are coming . We need to go . " I barely managed to stand , Lucy helped support me .

 _Who's coming ?_

 _The Brothers . They are coming to get you and .. they'll- .. nothing ._

 _They'll what ?_

 _I'll tell you everything later . Let's get out first ._

 _Okay ._

Lucy chanted some words , and we teleported into the woods . I sat down beside the tree and leaned on it . I said ," At least we bought them some time . " Lucy sat down beside me and started hitting me . She said ," You idiot ! I could've .. I could've .. " She broke into tears again . I managed a smile and wiped her tears . " Don't cry , Lucy .. " She breathed in and put her hands on my injury . She said ," Novo . " I felt my wounds stitch up flesh by flesh . It felt good , but I felt Lucy lose her witchcraft power rapidly . Like she was giving me her energy to save me . I put my hand on hers , frowning . She said ," It's okay . I'm fine . We still have to kill the rebel . Our interruption should have .. delayed her interrogation time . " As she spoke , her voice got weaker and weaker by the second . I said ," Give me energy . " She looked at me and said ," What ? "

 _Just do it ._

 _Why ?_

 _Do as I say , Lucy ._

She held my hand and closed her eyes . I know she was losing energy fast , but I'd rather do the killing than the her in this state do the killing . I felt energy flowing into me . It was not that much , but it was enough . Then , she fainted . I'd hate to leave her behind right here right now , but I had to . I fused the energy she gave me and the energy I had , I felt like I could fly . I ran forward , towards the camp . It was just a few seconds , and I'd already reach there . I took out my melee , ready to fight . I tried not to kill the guards , instead I injured them slightly . As I went in the prison , there were five Brothers in there . I said ," Either get out of my way or be injured . " One of them ran towards me . I did not know what I was doing . I used my melee and slashed his neck , killing him instantly . I killed each and every one that wanted to attack me . And lastly , I killed the rebel mercilessly . After killing , I ran back to Lucy . Lucy was there , on the ground unconscious . I carried her to my favourite spot . I put her down gently so she leaned on the tree . Then , my senses came back to me . I frowned and hit myself , knowing I had killed five Brothers . It was a crime , and I'd get punished heavily . I should be known as a fugitive now . I sighed to myself and sat down . I leaned on a tree and looked at Lucy . It was like all of my hatred towards Lucy had disappeared . I didn't feel any hatred towards her . It was strange . It will be fine after she releases me . I'll hate her again . I thought . I closed my eyes and slept .

" Natsu . Wake up , sleepy head . It's night already . "

Lucy's sweet and caring voice woke me up . I sat up , half asleep . I felt breath on my face , I opened my eyes . I was really close to Lucy , to the point I felt her breath on my face . I blushed , and stood up . I coughed a few times . Lucy was still sitting , her face as red as an apple . I offered a hand , but she stood up by herself . She said ," W-we're late . " She started to walk . I said ," Now we're even . "

" About what ? " She asked .

" Well , you shielded for me yesterday , so I shielded for you just now . So now we're even . " I replied .

" Seriously ? " She let out a laugh .

Just then , I noticed her legs wobble . I caught her before she could fall down . I asked ," You okay ? " She nodded her head , frowning and looking pale . She said ," I'm fine . I'm just a little dizzy . I'll be fine . " She tried to regain her stability but failed at it . I caught her again and said ," You won't be fine , Lucy . I'll carry you . " I carried her the Princess way , since she is one and I won't hurt my back . I said ," Get some sleep . " She scoffed at me and said ," We just slept , Natsu . Have you forgotten ? You're such a forgetful person . " We walked for quite a while . Somehow , I knew the way to go to the portal to Somet . I took a glance at Lucy , she was awake . I was about to tell her off when Gray appeared out of nowhere . He asked ," What happened ? Your energy's drained , what did you do ? I'll carry her instead , Natsu ." I explained as I let Lucy down ," Things happened and I was sort of the cause of it . I was too immature , but yeah , the mission was a success . " Gray said as he carried her ," I see . But how'd Lucy lose most of her energy ? " Lucy fell asleep on his back , and it kind of annoyed me . I said ," Well , healing me and .. and .. I .. I don't know .. But Kei .. had collapsed .. " Gray said ," What ? What are you saying ? Kei collapsed and Lucy was healing you . But healing doesn't take up a lot of energy .. Unless .. "

 _What ? Unless what ?_

 _Unless she'd cast a powerful spell on him . And that spell .._

 _Which is ?_

 _A spell enough to give her a little more energy after healing would be .. Intransico , but that's a teleportation spell . Did she teleport ?_

 _Yeah , she did ._

 _As I thought , her energy limitation had increased . But that would be .. the last thing that takes up her energy is Judinsco . That's a really dangerous spell though ._

 _Judinsco ... ?_

 _And if she did cast that spell , the opponent is likely to be dead . But for Kei , I wouldn't know_ .

I looked at him , shocked . He said ," Believe or not , it's true . " Just then , we reached the tree . Gray walked to the tree beside it and said ," Mechanic door , open . " A light shine through a little hole and Gray put his crest right in the middle of the light . Strings of leaves fell down from the tree , but the startings were intact with the tree . Gray walked through it , and I followed . It was Lucy's room . I figured that the doorway led to Lucy's room because we showed it our crest . Gray put her down on her bed before walking to her wardrobe . I asked ," What are you doing ? " He answered ," Taking her sleeping gown , so she can sleep more comfortably . And also so that she can regain back her energy fast . " He took out her sleeping gown and started stripping her . I turned around and said ," W-w-what are you doing ? " He replied ," Helping her change . Why ? You scared ? Or have you not seen her naked before ? " I turned around to look at Gray . I said ," I did ." Gray sighed and looked at me . He said ," Help , then . Don't be such a kid . " I went over to help him .

After we had changed clothes for Lucy , I sat down beside her while Gray transferred some energy to her . She was originally sweating but as her energy was refilled , she had a peaceful face . After transferring some energy into Lucy , Gray said ," I'm tired . Watch her , Natsu . I'm gonna sleep . Wake me up if she gets a fever . " I said ," Fever ?! " Gray replied as he sat down on one corner ," Yeah , she gets a fever if she regains too much energy . That happens when she is too exposed to heat . Yeah , she's weird . " He closed his eyes . I looked at Lucy . Her hair was covering her face , so I helped her push it behind her ears . Once again , I saw her bare and sleeping face . I couldn't help but smile to myself . Just then , I noticed tears falling down her face . I carefully wiped her tears away , making sure not to wake her up . As I wiped her tears , she murmured some words .

" Don't .. die .. Natsu .. "

I held her hand and said ," I won't , not until I get revenge on you . " For some reason , her face looked relieved . These two days I'd been with her , my hatred seems to have disappeared . Why ? I wondered . I stroked her head and whispered ," Why do I not feel hatred towards you anymore , Lucy ? Why ... ? " I sat on the ground and closed my eyes as I leaned on her bed . As I fell asleep , I heard a voice inside my head .

 _ **You haven't heard the whole truth about my death , Natsu . And I am partly to blame .**_


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up in the middle of the night . Lucy was still sleeping , but she was groaning . I shook her and asked ," Lucy , you okay ? " She was frowning and sweating a lot . I kept shaking her , hoping she would wake up . I was about to shake her once more when I remember Gray's words .

 _Wake me up if she gets a fever . She's like that when she's exposed to too much heat ._

I put my palm on her forehead . She was burning . I ran over to Gray and woke him up . I said ," Gray ! She's having a fever ! " His eyes widened and he rushed over to Lucy . I followed him . He said ," Natsu , get rid of that fire . " I ran over to the fireplace and splashed water at the fire . Gray said ," You idiot , doing that creates smoke . I meant to take in heat energy and change it to cool energy then give it to Lucy . " I had no idea how to do that . I said ," Okay , but how do you change it to cool energy ? " He sighed and said ," You take care of Lucy . I'll do it . " He switched places with me . I threw the blanket away and noticed the colour of her sleeping gown . It was black . I said to myself ," Black takes in more heat .. I should have noticed damn it . " I ran to her wardrobe and took out a lighter coloured sleeping gown . Then I changed Lucy's sleeping gown . Gray asked ," What are you doing ? " I replied ," Gray , I knew you were always bad at science , but shouldn't you know that black takes in more heat ? You're the one that's an idiot . " He was silent , then he said ," Oh yeah . " He laughed at himself . I shook my head , thinking that he really is an idiot . Just then , Gray pushed me aside . He started to transfer energy to Lucy . I could sense the coldness in the air . After a while , Lucy stopped sweating . Gray was the one who was sweating . I said ," Go take a shower , I'll take care of her . " He nodded his head and walked out of the room . I took a pail of cold water and soaked a towel in it . Even though her fever has gone down a lot , she still had a slight fever . I was patting her forehead with the towel when the door opened . I didn't look at the door , I assumed it was Gray . I said ," That was fast , Gray . You'd always take the longest in showering . " What welcomed me was another voice . " I'm not Gray . " I turned around . He was tall and well built , his hair was orange in colour and he was wearing spectacles . I asked ," Who are you ? " He replied ," I'm Leo , the lion . People call me Loki . I'm the leader of the Zodiac . " I asked ," Why are you wearing a suit ..? " He let out a laugh and said ," Don't mind it , it's kind of like my everyday wear . Enough about me . Who are you ? " I replied ," Natsu Dragneel . Lucy's new mechanic . " Loki walked towards me and said ," I've heard about you . The one who wants to kill Lucy because you think Lucy killed your mother . " I got a little annoyed . I said ," Think ? She did kill my mother . " He smirked at me and said ," You haven't heard ? " I stood up and glared at him . I asked ," Heard about what ? " He scoffed at me and said ," About the truth of your mother's dea- "

" Don't , Loki . "

We both looked at Lucy . Lucy tried to sit up . I was about to help her when Loki ran past me and helped her up . He said ," My princess is up . " Lucy hit him and said ," Go to Aries instead , you play boy . " I frowned and said ," What about my mother ?! The truth ?! What about her death ?! " Lucy hit Loki's head hard . She said ," I told you not to mention it , idiot . "

 _I said what about it , Lucy .. !? What haven't you told me ?!_

Lucy said ," It's nothing . You don't have to know . Loki's just saying it to agitate you . " Loki said ," No , I'm not ! I'm speaking the truth- " Lucy covered his mouth and said ," As you can see , he's talking crap . " Just then , Gray walked in and asked ," What's happening ? " I pulled Gray out of the room . I closed the door and said ," Gray , did Lucy tell you anything about my mother's death ? Do you know anything about it ? " He looked away and said ," I do . But Lucy will the one to tell you . " The door opened and Lucy stood there , panting heavily . She said ," Don't talk about it anymore .. ! " Her voice echoed in my mind , it felt like she gave me a restriction . I tried to say something about it , but it wouldn't come out no matter how .

 _You can't , right ?_

 _Shut up , Gray . You also can't ._

 _Haha ._

 _How'd she do this anyway ?_

Gray started walking towards Lucy . He said ," It's the ' Restrictor ' and only masters of the mechanics can use it against them . Whether it's to shut them up or restrict them to do something or talk about it . And guess who's our master ? " He smirked and put his elbow on Lucy's shoulder . I asked ," So you mean I can't talk about it ? Ever ? " Lucy answered ," You can talk about it , but not directly into it . " I said ," I still don't get it . " She face palmed , literally . She sighed and said ," Good job , guys . Get to sleep . Especially you , Natsu . You'll be have training tomorrow . " She went in her room . I asked ," So ... where do we sleep , Gray ? "

Gray led me into a room far away from Lucy's . In that room , there was a bed , a closet and and bathroom . I asked ," This is my room ? " He nodded his head and said ," It's far away from Lucy's , but there's a tunnel that leads straight to her room . It's for emergency uses . " I asked ," Where's yours ? " He replied groggily ," Opposite yours . " I put down my bag and sat on the bed . I asked ," What exactly is the Zodiac ? " He leaned on the wall folding his arms. He explained ," In Lucy's group of mechanics , there's a clique called the Zodiac . That are the first mechanics of Lucy . They are called Spirits . Obviously , I'm not part of it . I became hers three years ago . "

" What ? Three years ago ?! " I shouted .

" Yeah . " He replied in a yawn .

" But you .. disappeared .. two years ago .. " I stuttered with my words .

" I was already her mechanic for a year . Didn't you realise my strange behaviour for a year ? I often went out in the night . Well , a dense person like you won't realise , " he explained . He waved goodbye to me before getting out of my room .

The next day , my training had begun .


	13. Chapter 13

" Wake up . Wake up ! I said . WAKE . UP . "

I heard her voice in the morning , I want to believe it wasn't her , but mom . I was dreaming of mom waking me up , I just didn't want to stop my imagination of mom . Lucy said ," Why are you so hard to wake ..?! You're like a pig ."

 _Wake up already , sleepy head . You're just like a pig ._

I remembered mom's sentence when waking me up . Unconsciously , I held onto Lucy's hand . Mom's hand was always rough on the fingers , but soft on the back of the palm . Lucy's hand was soft on every inch of her hand . The sensation was different , it woke me up . The first thing I saw was Lucy's face smiling warmly at me . She whispered ," Do I feel like your mom ...? " I frowned , and sat up . She giggled and said ," I didn't know you snore . " I got out of the bed , wearing my shirt . I said ," That doesn't work anymore . " She swiftly touched the edge of my shirt , from one end to another , whispering ," I wasn't doing anything , what do you think I was gonna do ? " I could hear her smile . I was just about to get my scarf when it flew into Lucy's arms . I put out my hand and said ," Give it back . " She shook her head and curled her hand back and forth , telling me to go to her .

" What do you plan on doing now ? " I asked , frowning .

" Just come here . I wanna help you wear your scarf . " She replied , smiling at me .

" What for ? You have Gray to do it to ."

" Well ... he doesn't let me touch his shirt . That one shirt he always wears . He says it's given to him from his girlfriend . So he doesn't let me touch it . "

" Girlfriend ? "

" You didn't know ? It's Juvia . He broke up after he knew she was a witch too . But he couldn't kill her , so he let her go . "

" Wait .. Juvia .. isn't she Lyon's witch ? "

" She is . That was after she came to Somet . Lyon guided her in , so she chose Lyon as her mechanic . "

" But wasn't he your mechanic ? "

" We sort of had a major fight , well I've known him since childhood , so he didn't really have any restrictions . He said that he wanted to give up on being my mechanic in impulse , so I cut him off me on impulse and sent him away . He suffered for months in pain until he met Juvia . She was like his medicine , so I'm grateful towards her . "

" .. You still care about him , don't you ? " I could still see affection in her eyes as she talked about Lyon .

" Come here , enough chit chatting . "

I walked towards her , obeying her orders . She wrapped my scarf around my head , tieing it . Just then , the door opened . Standing there was Gray in his ' normal ' outfit . Half-naked , as always . But this time it was different . He wasn't wearing his undergarments but A LONG PANTS . I asked ," G-gray .. Did you change the way you strip ..? " He flared up and shouted ," I DIDN'T ! " Lucy walked in the middle and said ," Okay , boys . Let's go . Oh , and . Natsu , you might want to take off your shirt . It's gonna be really hot . "

Shoot , I should've taken it off earlier . It was blazing hot . I'd only been jogging for half an hour , but my whole shirt was wet . " You ... should've ... told me .. that .. it was .. gonna .. be THIS HOT . " She jogged beside me with an annoyingly relaxed face . Lucy replied ," I did , you just didn't take advantage of it . So , it's your loss , baka ." She then jogged faster and the slow Gray behind me jogged faster to match her pace . As they jogged side by side , they joked with each other and that kind of made me irritated .

After one and a half hours of jogging , we took a short break . I sat under a tree , taking advantage of its shade . My whole body was sweaty , my armpits , legs , chest , backs , face . My face was red , as if I was blushing . Lucy came over to me and offered me a opened bottle of water , but I pushed it off her hands . The water splattered all over the grass , I looked away . " I don't need it . " Lucy said ," Natsu .. you mustn't waste water . " Her tone had a hint of anger , so I looked at her . She looked calm , yet angry . I asked ," What are you so angry for ? It's just water- " She glared at me , and shut me up with that gaze of hers . She kneeled down , and gathered the water back into her hands , collecting it in the shape of a sphere . She said ," Water .. is precious . It saves lives , Natsu . I've seen numerous numbers of children die." She skillfully put the water back into the bottle , then purified it .

" It's not like you don't see people die from time to time . " I provoked .

" But I don't kill children , Natsu . That's inhumane . I kill certain people for certain reasons . I don't just go around killing anyone ," she replied , hinting annoyance .

" .. Then why'd you kill my mom ? If you said you kill certain people for certain reasons , tell me why did you kill my mom ? "

" .. I can't tell you . Not now ."

" Then when ?! When are you gonna tell me- "

I felt something restrict me from asking anymore questions . Like I was prohibited to even think about them . " That's what you get for being too curious , flame brain ," Gray said . Lucy walked over to Gray , giving him the bottle of water she'd purified just now . Why's she so sensitive when it comes to water ? And children dying ? What has she got to do with it ..? I thought .

 _Just so you know , you were 'thinking out loud' , Natsu ._

 _Oh shit , really ?_

 _Yes , really . And , when the time comes , I'm sure Lucy will tell you about that matter ._

 _What matter , Gray ?_

 _You'll know soon enough ._

Gray stood up , and said ," Okay , the next set of training is all on me . We'll spar for a start , to teach you how to fight like a mechanic ." I replied ," Sure ." He went to the barracks and handed me a sword . He said ," Here , it's your sword from now on . " I gave him a 'Are you serious' face and said ," Gray , shouldn't you know that- " He cut me off , saying ," That I shouldn't give you a random sword ? I know that . When you were sleeping , this sword reacted to you . It belongs to you , Natsu ."

*After an hour*

" Kick that habit of taking your sword out immediately when your opponent attacks first ," Gray said , using his sword case to hit my ankle .

" I'm trying ! " I replied , getting up .

" Obviously , it's not enough ."

I sprinted forward , my sword case reaching his neck . Gray mumbled ," Too slow . " He absorbed all the energy around him in his hands and forced it on me . I flew backwards , falling on my back . He smirked at me . I protested ," That's unfair ! You get to use some form of magical energy and I don't . My baby sword's not with me either ." He laughed . " Even now , you still it that ? You never change , Natsu . Okay , test ends now . " Wait what ? Test ? What's he talking about ? I thought .

" What test ?" I asked .

" That 'sparring' was a test to test your abilities ," Gray replied .

" Well then why didn't you say anything ?"

" I thought you wouldn't understand , that's why . Or you do ?"

" Nope . Not in one bit ."

" Anyways , take a break . Your training for swords fighting will start tomorrow and I'll be in charge of you . Oh , there are also others .. like spells and healing but I'm thinking Lucy's taking over that topic .. "

" I see .. "

" Oh yeah . Lucy's absent for today since she has an important meeting to go to . And after that she has an appointment , so Lisanna will take over today ."

" But aren't I not allowed to be close to other witches ?"

" Theorically , you can . Only for today . Lucy has given special permission ."

" Ah .. "

I went to get myself a bottle of water , and I saw someone unexpected .

 _" Hello , Natsu ."_


	14. Chapter 14

_" Hello , Natsu ."_

I got goosebumps from that voice . Lisanna was standing in front of me , offering me a bottle of water . I can't go near her . I thought .

" Here," she said .

" Leave it there . Or if you insist , then I won't take it from you then ," I said , lowering my head .

" Just take it , you have special permission from Nee-san today , don't you ?"

" Just because I have special permission , doesn't mean I can take advantage of it ." What the hell am I saying ? I thought as I frowned .

 _Natsu ._

 _Lucy ..?_

 _Are you wondering why are you saying what you don't want to ?_

 _..Yeah_

 _It's the bond between master and mechanic . If you are close to me , there's a defensive barrier towards me . You'll naturally want to protect me ._

 _What ? What do you mean ?_

The connection broke off .

" Natsu ? Are you listening ? " Lisanna said , walking a step closer to me .

" What did you say ?" I asked , stepping back .

" Gray told me to get on with our lesson first . He says he needs to go and assist Lucy ."

" Oh , okay ."

Lisanna walked to the field and I followed after . She walked to the center of the field and asked ," So what do you know about spells ? Have you ever casted one ?" I nodded my head . " Yeah . I casted a witch spell before ." She frowned for a second before asking ," Which spell was it ? What kind ?" I replied ," .. It was Novo . A healing spell ." Then , she smiled to herself and said ," I see . If you've already learnt how to cast a healing spell , then I won't need to teach you the other spells ."

" Why ?" I asked .

" A healing spell , Natsu , is the second highest level of energy spells , apart from the deadly spells . And the basic spells , don't need much energy ," Lisanna answered .

" Oh .. I see . So what am I gonna do today ?"

" I'll leave the basic spells for Nee-san to teach you . Since you already know an expert level spell , I'll teach you a spell of the next rank , professional level : teleportation . "

" .. Teleportation ...?"

" Yeah , teleportation ."

" ... "

" What's wrong ?"

" I have something- "

Suddenly , out if the blue , I was refrained from talking . It was as if I couldn't , mustn't speak of that to Lisanna . That I should tell Lucy first . " What did you want to say ?" Lisanna asked . I shook my head and said ," I-it's nothing ... Let's begin .." She looked confused when I glanced at her . I knew , from that moment , that I had to tell Lucy about that matter first , and not only just that matter , but everything .

*Hours later*

It was already evening , 6 o'clock . Teleportation was harder than I thought it would be . It is the highest level after all . So far , I've only mastered how to absorbed all the energy into my hands , then into my body , and spread it all around . However , I couldn't teleport yet . " Let's take a break .. or rather .. lesson ends today . Get some rest , okay ?" Lisanna said . From her sentence , I knew that she was tired too . She spent hours teaching me , but all I could do was just up until this point . I said ," Lis , sorry . I could only learn up until here and you wasted hours teaching me ." For some reason , I didn't feel as guilty as I should be . She smiled and replied ," It's okay , Natsu . It's already amazing that you've learnt up to this point in a few hours ."

Then , I heard familiar footsteps walk towards us . As I was looking at the ground , I lift my head up . Lucy stood there , narrowing her eyes as she looked at me . She stood there , looking at Lisanna then me , repeating the same process . Then realization struck me . I noticed how close Lisanna were standing . I moved away from her slowly and sneakily . Was she always that jealous easily ? I thought . I went over to Lucy's side and stood beside her .

 _Why am I being treated like a dog ?_

 _Well , I am basically your master after all ._

 _Whatever , It's not like I wanted to be yours in the first place anyway ._

 _If you say so ._

Lucy smirked at me and said ," Lis , how about I hand over Natsu to you from today onwar- " I cut her off unknowingly ," No ! Wait what ?! You want to hand me over to Lis ?! Are you sane ?!" What the fuck am I saying right now ?! I thought .

" Well I thought you didn't want me to be your master-"

" W-w-what are you talking about ? You must've heard wrongly , yeah you must have ..!"

" But- "

I held Lucy's hand and dragged her away , saying ," Sorry , Lis . We gotta go first !" I could faintly hear her say 'goodbye' . Lucy was silent throughout the holding hands 'session' , I led her back to her room and let go of her hand . When I turned to look her , I saw a faint blush on her cheeks . I cleared my throat , dismissing the awkward atmosphere . She looked at me , her expression turning back to an emotionless face . She asked ," So , how far have you learnt your teleportation ?" I replied ," Not much , just absorbing energy into my body and spreading it throughout my body- Wait , how did you know I was learning that ?" She scoffed . " I know everything you do , Natsu ," she answered .

" How ..? "

" When we kissed , it meant that you've given your whole to me , even your memories . So , I know of what you and Lisanna did .. and I know what you are seeing and doing . Also , I know what you are thinking of me right now , this moment ."

" .. that's just so .. "

" Messed up ? I know , haha ."

" .. "

" Speechless ?" She asked , giggling in that cute manner .

To be honest , my heart fluttered when she laughed . I know I sound like a girl , but it did flutter . I brushed off my feelings and said ," Oh yeah , about just now ... I wanted to tell something to Lis .. but for some reason , it felt like I should tell you first ." She blinked as she frowned before saying ," Okay ... but that shouldn't be .. Unless I was unaware of it . Let's try mindspeak . I'll look through your memories as we mindspeak ."

 _Okay .. so ?_

 _Have you hidden anything from me so far ?_

 _Rather than hide , it's more like you didn't ask ._

 _What is it ? When did it happen ?_

 _When I got stabbed in your stead . I ... saw something ._

 _You were dumb to do that . You know that you can heal me or bring me back to Somet . So why did you do it ? Baka ._

 _How would I know ? I just did it . Just had to ._

 _.. I'm honoured , Natsu ._

I turned my head to look at her face , she was blushing and smiling . Darn , is she blushing ? That's so cute . I thought . I shook of any romantic thoughts of her , just in case her might hear it . I asked ," Are you done messing in my head now ?" Then , her eyes widened , she was smiling ear to ear now . " I found it- " , she said , suddenly pausing . Her smile vanished and it turned into a frown . I couldn't figure out how she was feeling by looking at her face .

 _What ?_

 _I- I .._

 _What ? Spill it ._

She shook her head and explained ," I-it's nothing ... it's just .. the thing you saw .. was just a dream .. nothing much ." For a moment , she looked worried . She started biting her nail . I was about to ask her more questions when Gray walked in . He stood in front of Lucy and said ," She wants to talk to me now . Go out . For now ." I asked ," Huh ? She didn't even say anything to you . How do you know she wants to talk to you ?" Gray gave me a 'Are you serious' face and pointed to his brain . Oh , I thought . I nodded my head and walked out of the room .

After I went out , I sighed and sat beside the door . I thought ," Lucy's expression and stuttering .. just now .. it's the first time I've seen it ."

* Third person point of view*

Lucy sighed as she sat on her bed , with a worried expression . Gray asked ," What is it ? What's wrong with Natsu ?" She looked up at him then looked to the ground . She said with a shaking voice ," N-natsu .. he has the gift of a vision .. " Gray's eyes widened . He put his hands on Lucy's shoulder and asked ," Wait , what ? Gift of a vision ?! That's .. Don't worry . They won't find out . Not so soon ." Lucy's eyes welled up as she said ," B-but .. by the time they find out , he .. Natsu .. he'll get killed .. ! "


	15. Chapter 15

*Normal point of view*

*At night*

I was too troubled I couldn't sleep . Lucy's worried face kept appearing in my mind . I rolled sideways for countless of times , and I still can't sleep . Rather , I can't get her face out of my mind . Now it was my turn to be worried about her . I thought ," Maybe I should go and check up on her .. Wait what am I thinking ? I'm supposed to be hating her . Just don't think about it , Natsu ." I close my eyes once again . Then , I opened my eyes and sighed . I'll go check on her .. I thought .

I silently walk through the hallway . Once I reached her room , I opened her door quietly . She was sleeping soundly , her blankets nearly falling off the bed . I giggled at the way she slept and walked over to her to pull her blanket up . That was when I realized Gray in the room . He was sleeping beside her bed , leaning on the bed frame . I narrowed my eyes , thinking whether he was really asleep or nor . Just then , his eyes shot open . He stared at me and asked ," What are you doing in her room in the middle of the night ?" I answered bluntly ," Checking up on her . Her worried expression just couldn't put me to sleep ." Just then , Gray smirked and suggested ," Wanna draw on her face ?" I smirked back and said ," I'm always prepared ." I took out markers from my pocket . " Sweet ," he said , before taking the markers . He drew all sorts of strange stuff while I drew a moustache for her .

.

.

.

.

We had enough fun , so he headed back to his room first . I got rid of the evidence(markers) before leaving her room . I went to sleep without a worry .

Natsu ... Natsu ..! Get away from Somet ! Or else you'll-

" NATSU DRAGNEELLLLLLL ! GRAY FULLBUSTERRRRR! GET YOUR ASSES HERE RIGHT NOW !"

My 'beauty' sleep was interupted due to Lucy's shouting right in the morning . I even thought I was dreaming about a voice telling me I was going to die- My thoughts got cut short because of Lucy . My door flew out , like literally , it flew . Lucy broke my door , and now I couldn't have a room all to myself . She ran to me , grabbed my collar and yelled ," NATSU ..! ARE YOU READY TO DIE OR SOMETHING ?!" Still half asleep , I replied ," Huh .. what ? I don't know anything .." It was that time and moment of my life that I got hit the hardest .

.

.

.

Gray and I were forced to kneel down and raise our hands like kids . By the time she had finished her scolding , it was past our training session . Gray and I smirked to each other .

 _Feels good to skip training , right ?_

 _You bet !_

 _By the way , do you think she's gonna take up our lunch time for running ?_

 _I don't think so , Gray ._

 _I will , and stop talking behind my mind !_

I got a shock , since it was the first time someone had interrupted Gray and I's mindspeak . Only dad , mom and Lisanna could do it , since they were really close to me .

Lucy pinched my cheeks and said ," Got it ? " I pushed her hand away and rolled my eyes . "Whatever ." Ouch . I felt a throbbing pain in my heart . I looked into her eyes , it was full of hurt . She was the one hurting , and yet I felt her pain . I turned to look at Gray , but he didn't look like he was hurt at all . She stood up , and mumbled ," Run for 50 rounds before showing your face to me , Natsu . Gray , come with me . A quest for you came ." She walked off without looking back .

 _You've saddened her , Natsu ._

 _So ? She deserves that treatment from me . This can't be compared to the pain that she put me through ._

 _I know , but- Nevermind . She'll tell you when she wants ._

 _What ?_

He got cut off from me . I stood up and made my way to the field . As I ran , I heard a familiar voice .

 _Natsu_ ..

Wait what ? I stopped running . I looked to my right , which was the forest . Wasn't that dad's voice ..? I felt someone's presence in the forest . It was like he was there , but not there . No , it's not dad's voice . It's a lady's. I walked into the woods quietly , holding my sword . I was ready to attack . Just then , someone grabbed me and covered my mouth . I could see her scarlet hair on my shirt . Erza . Crap . She covered my mouth so tight that I could suffocate .

 _Natsu , I see you've successfully infiltrated Somet too -_

 _Why'd you stop talking ?_

She pushed me away from her and pointed her sword at me . She said ," Natsu , since when have you been at mechanic?! " She looked at my left collarbone , then frowned back at me .

" I thought you hated Lucy . Looks like I was wrong ."

She inched back , then flew towards me , her sword almost stabbing my heart . Luckily , I blocked her just in time . Then , she lifted up her sword and slashed it down , breaking my sword . Fortunately , it was not my Genisys , I'd kill her if she broke it . I was momentarily distracted , she ran to me and used a towel to cover my mouth . Everything seemed so blur , then, I fainted .


	16. Chapter 16

[ Lucy's POV ]

All of a sudden , I was out of breath . My heart throbbed and my heart rate got faster . I frowned as my legs gave out . Gray asked ," What's wrong?" I explained to him what I felt . Then , realization dawned on me . Natsu .

Natsu ..! Natsu ! Can you hear me ?

The connection didn't go through . I couldn't feel his feel his presence in Somet at all . But I felt an intruder in Somet . I commanded ," Guards ! There is an intruder in Somet ! Find the intruder and bring him or her back to me alive! " The guards chorused ," Yes , ma'am!" They went off after that . I shook my head and said ," No .. I'll go to Cyrus myself ..!" Gray put his hand in my shoulder and comforted ," He'll be alright . He's Natsu, after all . I'll go and save him ."

[ Natsu's POV ]

I feel dizzy . I opened my eyes , only to find out that I'm in a prison . I breathed in the fresh air . This wasn't Somet . It was Cyrus . Somet had witches air . It smelled like witches everywhere . That smelly , witch smell that everyone had except for Lucy . She smelled nice . Wait what? I brushed off the thought as I shook my head .

" I see you are awake . Natsu Dragneel ."

I looked up . Erza . She narrowed her eyes at me . I replied ," Erza . How'd you get in Somet ." I started right directly in her eyes with a serious face . She did the same to me . She questioned ," When were you a mechanic ?"

" I asked you Erza . How did you get in ?"

" What were you doing in Somet ?"

" I asked . How did you get in Somet ? Do you know that if you're caught , you'll get killed on the spot ?"

" I know ! I was an ex-mechanic . My sister owned me ."

" W-what ?"

" You had a sister ?"

" I had one ."

" You had one ? What does that- "

Suddenly , I smelled a witch . Since I'd been surrounded by witch air for the last one week , I'd recognise that witch air anywhere . Was it Lucy ? Or Lisanna ? I thought.

" Erza-san, there's an intruder outside . A witch ," a guard said .

" Okay ."

She glared at me before going out of the cell .

 _Don't you even think of escaping , Natsu Dragneel._

 _And why do you think I would escape ?_

 _Because your filthy witch master is here . Lucy Heartfillia._

 _What ?!_

 _I am going to catch her and kill her ._

 _DON'T YOU DARE !_

 _Why ? Have you developed romantic feelings for her over your stay there ?_

I couldn't speak back . I don't know if I did or was it a mechanic's feelings towards a protection of his master's. Anyway , I had to get out of this prison . Suddenly , I heard footsteps . It was her . I could smell her nice perfume . I called out ," Lucy ?" She squatted in front of the cell , and shushed me . She was wearing a black coat over her black dress . She looked extremely worried .

 _How did you end up here ?_

 _I'm fine ._

 _I asked you a question ._

 _You look worried ._

 _Answer my question._

 _I'm sorry ._

 _What for ?_

 _For worrying you ._

As I stared into her eyes , her cheeks reddened . She whispered ," How do you get out of this ?" I replied ," Luce , this is a normal cell . I'm not a witch . But I'm a mechanic . Am I not ?" She giggled and touched the bars slightly . I could feel that her fingers were burning slightly . She mumbled something and the lock cracked . She opened the door and broke my chains . I stood up and hugged Lucy . Her face was burning red , she pushed me gently and stuttered ," L-let's go .. G-gray is distracting them .." I said ," What ..?!" I grabbed Lucy's wrist and ran outside . Lucy gave me a cloak and mumbled ," Invisibilia ." I took a look a look at my body and it was gone .

 _What the heck is this ?!_

 _Relax , Natsu . I just casted an invisibility spell on the cloak ._

Lucy said ," Let's go then ." We ran to the field . There stood Gray , wearing Lucy's clothes . He was even wearing makeup..! I couldn't help but laugh .

 _You look hideous , Gray ._

 _Oh shut up !_

 _Hahahaha ._

 _This is all for you and because Lucy asked me to do this . You are so gonna get it when we return ._

Lucy whispered ," What's wrong with you ? You're giggling to yourself ." I shook my head and ran to Gray . Lucy followed after . The Brothers were just behind us . Lucy casted ," Nuisco ." The Brothers stopped moving . Erza sprinted to the front behind them , pointing her sword at Lucy .

 _Stop , Erza ..!_

 _You can't control me . I am going to kill her even if it takes my life ._

I knew she wasn't going to stop . I took a glance at Lucy . She was ready to cast the 'Evanesco' spell . I just couldn't let Erza be harmed . She's like a big sister to me ..!

 _I know what you're thinking , Natsu . Don't do it ._

 _Erza's not going to stop anyway . I have to do it ._

 _Not on my watch ._

 _Then it'll be in your face !_

 _What ?_

I stood in front of Lucy and pushed her away . She fell on the ground and I stood in her place . The sword went right though my stomach . I groaned in pain . Erza looked shocked , she had stabbed her friend .

Lucy casted ," Agito !" Erza flew back and clashed into the Brothers . Lucy looked so worried . I couldn't believe that she looked pretty even though she was worried . I shut my eyes and lost consciousness .

Where am I..? I opened my eyes and stood up . Erza was getting up . Lucy and Gray were trying to heal me . Why did I get stabbed anyway .. The Brothers ran to Lucy as her spell weakened . They grabbed her and held her back . Her attention and focus was only on me . To heal me . To make me wake up . Gray on the other hand was stabbed by some random guy . Erza took the chance to stab Lucy . What kind of dream is this ? It's just like the dream I saw when I got stabbed . This is a vision .. isn't it ? I have to wake up now .

I open my eyes . Like in my dream , the Brothers were getting up . I looked at Lucy . She looked so worried . I sat up and looked behind Gray . I saw a guy holding a knife . I searched for his eyes and stared right into it. All of a sudden , the random guy was groaning in pain . Lucy asked , her eyes wide open ," How did you .. " I cut her off and said ," We have to go now ." I stood up and helped Lucy up . Erza was running towards us . I said ," Stay back ." Erza flew back a little and fell on the ground . Now , Gray and Lucy looked at me like I was some kind of Wizard . I don't even know why and how I could do all those stuff . I pushed Gray and Lucy and said ," Go . Before they stab you . I envisioned it . Go ." They ran forward , I was going to follow when the random guy came holding onto my leg . I said ," Novo ," and followed them .


	17. Chapter 17

* back in Somet *

We were in the forest , I was still injured . Gray and Lucy were looking at me weirdly . " What ? Is there something on my face or what ?" Gray was about to say something when Lucy put her hand on his mouth . She said ," Shut your mouth . We'll talk later . I have to heal Natsu before he loses consciousness again ." She walked to me and put her hands on my wound . " Novo ." Her worried expression was still on her face . I looked at her during the whole healing process .

 _Didn't you say you hate Lucy more than anything in this world ?_

 _So what of it ?_

 _Now , you're looking at her like she's someone you hold dear to you ._

Oh , crap . I shouldn't . I have to hate Lucy . But I feel like .. like there's no more hatred .

Lucy makes me smile . She can make anyone fall in love with her . I mean not forcefully but naturally and I don't mean romantically .

" Stop talking behind my mind , guys ," Lucy said . I had absolutely no idea how she'd do that . I wish I could hear her mindspeak with Gray too . She stood up and said ," Okay , I'm done healing . Let's go back to the castle first . You , Natsu Dragneel , will get it when we arrive ."

 _What did I do this time ?_

 _You see , we mechanics , aren't allowed to use magic out of Somet ._

 _Oh , crap. So I just got a death wish , huh ._

 _Lucy will kill you , because if we use magic out of Somet , she gets it from her mother ._

 _Her mom sounds like a scary witch ._

 _She's scarier than scary , trust me ._

We walked to the guards in no time . One of them said ," Crests ?" Gray and I showed our Crests while Lucy said ," Princess Lucy ." She showed her crest on her wrist . They bowed and let us in . We then walked into the castle . She opened the gates and Lisanna appeared . She said frowning ," Where did all of you go ? Mom's throwing a fit because you left the castle . Now , she's furious because one of your mechanics used magic for unnecessary reasons ." Lucy sighed and said ," Alright . I'll talk to mother . Go and rest , you still have a mission to carry out tomorrow , don't you ?" Lisanna glared at me before walking away . We walked to Lucy's room . Lucy said ," Wait for me here . I have to speak to my mom first ." She turned around , but I grabbed her wrist . I said ," It's okay , I'll go ." She snared ," Don't you dare step out of this room without my permission ." I let go of her hand and backed off . I could sense her anger and frustration . She went off . I asked ," Oh , yeah . Does Lisanna have a mechanic ?" Gray nodded his head and said ," She does , but I have no idea who it is . She didn't tell me ." I nodded my head and said ," I see . Lucy will be fine , right ?"

" She won't . Once she's back , she's gonna kill you ." Gray scoffed .

*door flies open*

" The witch is here ," Gray said while laughing .

Lucy yelled ," SO WHY DID YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR MAGIC OUTSIDE SOMET ?!"

I was shocked , since it was the first she'd screamed like that . I replied ," S-sorry ... But u really didn't know that I can't use magic out of Somet ." Lucy sighed in frustration . Then , she asked ," But don't you feel tired ? Like you don't feel like there's a drainage in your magic ?" I shook my head and replied ," No , not really . Maybe it because we're back in Somet ?"

[ Lucy's POV ]

He doesn't feel tired ? At all ? Why ? How ? All mechanics feel tired after- Wait a minute . What if he's a- No , I can't make assumptions . I have to go to my office and check my books .

I said ," Sorry , I'm going to my office ."

 _Gray , come with me ._

 _Is it something important ?_

 _I need to check if Natsu's a Periculum ._

 _What ? How can he be ..?_

 _I'm just checking . He doesn't get tired , and has the gift of vision . He's a legitimate threat towards my mother . But if he's a Periculum .. he can't be killed ._

 _Okay . Let's go ._

I leave the room with Gray , leaving Natsu behind . I hurried to my office and took down books that could be related to a Periculum's abilities . Gray helped me look through them and I looked through some myself . Just then , I saw a book named ' War between Somet and Hestia .' ( Okay so I forgot to name this continent HAHAH . Hestia is the name of Cryus , Eliotts and other campuses' name ) I frown as I flip open the first page of the book . I was shocked when I saw the author's name . Lydia Heartfillia , grandma . Then , as I flip more pages , read deeper into the book , I realized something shocking . My hand movements stop , I just sat as if I froze .

" Lucy ? What's wrong ?" His hand reaches for the book in my arms .

" I-it's nothing ," I say as I hugged the book .

Gray put his hand on my shoulder and said ," You saw something , right ? What is it ?" I nod my head and say ," We need to send Natsu away . It's for his sake .. and ours ."

[ Third person POV ]

Natsu walked back and forth in his room , wondering what was going on . Just then , the door room opened . Gray walked to Natsu and said ," I had a good time with you while you were here . I'm gonna miss you ." Then , he hugged Natsu , which felt awkward for the both of them . Natsu asked ," Why are you saying it like I'm never gonna- "

 _Come out , Natsu . To the garden ._

 _Now ? I'm talking to Gray . Later ._

 _Now , Natsu ._

Natsu had no choice but to obey her orders . He said ," I'll deal with you later ." He then walked out of his room and went to the garden . He said ," What is so important to-" Lucy looked at Natsu , her eyes filled with sadness . She said ," Natsu .. Do you want to go back to Cyrus ?" Natsu replied ," Of course-" Lucy managed a smiled and walked towards Natsu . She hugged Natsu , it was a long , emotional hug . Lucy then pulled herself from him and said ," You've really grown . From that little child ." Natsu said ," What ?" Lucy inched forward and landed her lips on his . That was just a kiss , a long kiss . Tears fell down Lucy's cheeks before she pulled away . She smiled and said ," I'll miss you , Natsu ."


	18. Chapter 18

_" Natsu . Wake up , sleepy head ."_

 _My eyes shot open at her voice . Her voice was somewhat familiar . I look around me . No one was there . I wonder whose voice was that ._

 _" Natsu ."_

 _I look around once again and started to see a faraway figure . It was a lady .. with blonde hair . Her stiffened face relaxed and she looked relieved ._

 _" Natsu . I love you and always have ."_

*jerks up*

Who was that ? She looks so familiar but I can't recognise her. I got out of bed , only to see Lisanna by the side of my bed , sleeping . My movements woke her up . " Lis ? What are you doing here ?" I asked . She looked happy for a second , then her face was wretched in pain . She said ," Are you okay ? Nee-san sent me here for a while . I need to go back real soon ."

" Go back where ? Nee-san ? You had a sister ?" I asked .

" Y-you don't remember ? Som- I mean . It's nothing .."

Somehow , she looked anxious asked worried . I wanted to ask her more about it , but it looked like she wouldn't answer it , so I didn't ask . Then , Lisanna stood up and said ," Natsu , I need to go home now . My mom's going to scold me ... Bye ." Just like that , she sneakily walked out like she'd did something wrong .

*door opens*

Dad walked in . For some reason , he looked older now . Maybe it was just me . He sat down on the edge of the bed and asked ," Are you okay ? You just suddenly came back . What happened ?" Huh ? Where did I come back from I didn't go anywhere , right ? Perhaps did I sleep walk ? ? I said ," What ? I never came back from anywhere . Isn't this an ordinary day where I just woke up ? Why's everyone so worried about me ?" Dad's worried expression stiffened . He said ," Come on , if you're awake then come down for breakfast ."

" O-okay ," I replied .

Lisanna and dad seemed so weird today .. I got out of bed and went down to have my breakfast . Dad said ," I'm going out for a while ."

-Third person POV-

While Natsu started to eat , Igneel walked out to Natsu's favourite in the woods . There , he met Lucy . Igneel stared right into her eyes and asked ," What did you do Natsu ?" Lucy kept her calm and straight expression . " I didn't do him any harm . To be honest , I did something that would please you ," Lucy answered . Igneel scoffed and said ," Let's hear from you then . What did you do ?" Lucy's expression darkened and her eyes were full of sorrow . She said ," I erased his memories of everything about me . Including his trip to Somet ."

" And why ?" He hissed .

" For his sake ."

" What ? How is that-"

" Make sure he doesn't retrieve them back . If he does , he'll be in extreme danger ."

Lucy then walked into the woods , slowing disappearing .

-Normal POV-

Dad's been outside for a while .. should I check up on him ? I stood up and headed out through the backdoor . Dad was standing there , looking confused . I walked to dad and asked ," Dad ? You okay ?" He nodded his head and headed back . I wanted to head back too , but something about the forest held me back . I turned and looked around . It was like something in the forest was calling out to me . I concentrated and focused , searching for that one voice that I heard very softly in my mind .

" Natsu ! What are you doing there ?" Dad called , breaking my concentration .

" I-i'm coming ..!"

Before I headed back to the house , I looked at the forest once more . I thought ," It looks like there's someone there .."

" Natsu !" Dad called again .

I ran back , answering ," Coming !"

* Night *

I rolled from side to side of my bed for countless times , trying to sleep . The forest had occupied my mind for the whole day . I want to go back there . I want to know what is it in the forest that has been calling me . I close my eyes once again , brushing off my thoughts . Then , I sighed as I open my eyes once again . I sit up and went down , heading for the forest .

Once I was there , I sat down on the grass , looking at the full moon .

*sniffs*

I turned around and my eyes caught a dark figure in the woods . I ran towards the figure and held its hand . It was a women's hand . Her fingers were long and pretty , her wrist so small and her skin so white . Inside the hooded figure was beautiful face , her lips were rosy pink , her brown eyes shining in the dark , her blonde hair as beautiful as it is and her cheeks as red as an apple . As I stared into her eyes , I noticed something . Her eyes were so full of sadness as she looked at me . She was so enchantingly beautiful , I couldn't take my eyes of her .

" Who are you ..?" I asked .


	19. Chapter 19

" Who are you ?" I asked , still enchanted by her beauty . She pushed my hands off and said ," Who I am is not important . It's late , you should be getting home ."

" Same goes for you , mi'lady ." I said , kissing her soft hands as soon as I held her hand .

She blushed and looked away . " I'm going home now , so you go home too ." She escaped my grip and turned around , starting to walk .

The strange thing was , she was walking into the freaking woods . I looked at her at strangely as I grabbed her wrist once more . " Hey , that's the forest , you know . It's not considered a home ."

" It's none of your business ." She looked into my eyes and I went flying . " Shit ," she mumbled .

I got up and asked ," You're a witch ?" I started walking towards her .

As I took a step towards her , she took a step back . She didn't seem to want to hurt me , though . I heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at her . " Since you seem nice , I'll let you go for now ."

" Excuse me ?!" She yelled .

" What ?"

" You're going to let me go just because I seem nice ? Then are you going to not kill witches who seem nice ?!"

What is she trying to say ..?

She turned around and started to walk . I ran to her and grabbed her hand tightly , pulling her so that she faces me . " Do you want me to kill you , then- " Her eyes were red , tears were falling down her face . " W-why are you crying ..?" I asked . She wiped her tears away and said ," Leave me alone ." She pushed my hand off hers and walked into the woods . I put my hand on my chest and thought ," It hurts ..? Who is she ..?"

A few more days had passed , apart from all the work I'd been doing , that girl .. I can't seem to get her off my mind . Every night , I look out my window unknowingly , looking for her . She didn't come back since that night .

* knocks on door *

Lisanna came in and smiled at me . She asked ," Wanna spar ? I know it's six in the morning , but why not ?" I let out a laugh and said ," Sure , why not ?" She pulled me out of bed and ran to the garden . I handed her a wooden sword and took one myself . We started to spar .

" CAPTURE HER !"

I looked behind and saw Erza and the Brothers . What ? Why ? Capture Lisanna ?

Two Brothers ran over to Lisanna and held her . Another ran over to Lisanna , holding the magic-resistant chain in his hands . He put it on her ankles and Lisanna screamed in pain .

Why is she screaming ? It only hurts for wit- Holy crap . Is .. Is Lisanna a w-witch ..? Impossible .

" Take her to the Cyrus Prison ." Erza commanded .

" Yes , ma'am !" The guards said .

They took Lisanna away . No ..! She can't be ..

" Erza ! She's not a witch ! You know that ! She can't possibly be one !" I cried out .

" ... I had my suspicions . Don't you remember ?"

" Remember what ?!"

" That Lisanna was a witch from the start ."

" You mean .. I already knew that ?"

" It seems you've lost your memories ."

" Wha- "

" It doesn't matter . We'll just have to get it back , then ...Capture Natsu !"

Erza hesitated ..! She doesn't want to do this ..! Then .. why ? I lost my memories ? What is she talking about ?! The guards came and took me away as well .

I sat in the hot prison , sweating . They gave me some kind of drug . Now , i'm sweating like hell . I close my eyes , fighting off nausea . There're not going to get anything out of me . I can't remember , anyway .

Suddenly , Erza walked in .

" Now, let's start with Lucy."

" You're not gonna get anything out of me. "

" Do you remember Lucy? "

" Who- " I pause , feeling a sharp pain throbbing in my head.

" Answer me. "

" Who exactly is this Lucy ?!"

" You don't know? She's blonde and always wears a dress with a black cloak covering it. "

" What do you-" I pause once again, the sharp pain throbbing in my head increasingly hurting.

I was on the brink of losing consciousness. Just then, I saw blurring images of a lady. She's.. Blonde.. And there's a black.. Cloak over her... Is.. This Lucy..?


	20. Chapter 20

Is ..that .. Lucy ..?

My vision slowly became clearer . In front of me is a lady . A blonde . Is this the girl that Erza's been talking about ? She looks worried , looking around .

I sit up , grunting . We're in the forest .

" You're awake ..!" She exclaimed , hinting a smile on her face .

" Where are we now ?" I ask , my head still spinning .

She put her index finger on her lips , shushing at me softly . My gaze slowly changes to look at her cherry red lips .

I want to kiss her . Badly .

I lean towards her and hold her wrist , pulling her hand away from her lips . I stare at her lips and my fingers reach to it and I run my fingers across her lips . I hear her swallowing her saliva . Our eyes met and she pulls away from me .

What the heck was I thinking ?

Sounds of metal boots could be heard . As Lucy lowers her head , she pushes my head down . As soon as the sounds were gone and Lucy had confirmed they were gone , she urges me to move . She said that we needed to move . I reply with a nod . I still wasn't sure whether I should trust her , but something about her tells me that she was trustworthy . We start to move .

Soon , we arrive at an abandoned house . She went in first , followed by me . The place was dusty . There was a small kitchen on the left , a small table in front of the door and a small bed on the right .

Seems like a house for one .

" There's preserved jam . Do you want some ?" Lucy shows me the jam .

" I'm .. not hungry ." I sit on the bed .

*stomach growls*

I look at her , embarrassed . Her lips crack into a smile .

That amazingly nice smile suits her .

She sits beside me on the bed and opens the jar . She used her finger to scoop up a small amount of jam and puts in front of me . " Open up ."

Does she really want me to feed me ? Right here , now ?

I awkwardly open my mouth and she wipes the jam off my lips . I lick the jam , but not all of it . She puts the jar back to where she originally found it . " Don't you want it ?" She shakes her head as she walks back to sit beside me . She looks hungry , though .

Should I just kiss her just to share the jam ?

I wipe the rest of the jam off my mouth and put it on hers . She looks at me with a blank face . " Be lucky I didn't kiss you to share that ." She immediately blushes as she covers her lips with her hand . I chuckle and she puts her hand away , licking the jam on her lips .

Damn , I want to kiss those lips .

" We're staying here for the night ."

" I gess it's already evening ?"

" Yeah . It's gonna be cold ."

" I'll go get some firewood then ." I stand up , heading for the door .

" You can't go out ..!" She said , grabbing my hand .

" Neither can you . I know the guards' checking routines better than you . Just stay in here ."

I smile , patting her head . She releases me and I head out .

*later*

I come back with a chunk of wood in my hands .

" Agito." Lucy casted.

Right. She was a witch.

The wood was lifted into the air and it landed right beside the fireplace . She walks over to it and starts a fire . Since this house was so into the woods , even if dad or anyone realized smokes coming from here , it would take a long time for them to come here . Lucy sits in front of the fire , heating up her cold hands . I sit beside her , heating my hands as well .

" We know each other , right ?" I ask .

" What ..? N-no .." She stutters .

" Lies . Why would you help me then ? I'm a fugitive now ."

She does not reply . I notice her shivering all over . It was already nighttime , and it slowly became more colder . I put my hand over her shoulder , pulling her closer to me as we share the heat of the fire together . She looks at me .

Why does she look at me like that ?

" Why do you look at me like that ? "

" Like what ?"

" Like i'm precious to you ."

" I don't . "

Lies .

I pretend to believe in her lie and I nod my head . " Tonight is such a wonderful night , since I'm with you ," I tease . Blood rushes to her cheeks and she looks back at the fire . " Do you remember anything ..?"

Am I supposed to remember something ?

" Nope ."

She nods her head , looking relieved . I ask ," Can I kiss you ?" She furrows her brows , looking at me . " I've been wanting to do it since we've escaped ."

" That's ridi-"

I cut her off , locking my lips with her . Her lips are so soft . It was a hard kiss , yet soft . Passionate too . My desire to kiss her all day could be felt with just that one kiss .I taste the strawberry jam that we had just now . Her eyes are closed , I see a little smile forming on her face . Both our mouths open , letting each other in . She smells like .. lavender . She lets out a quiet and soft moan , which I think was cute . Her hands slowly creep up to the back of my head , tugging my hair .

I can't stop . She's so sweet .

Lucy shakily exhales as she pulls away from me , hands resting on my shoulders . She looks up to me , her face as red as an apple .

Oh god , she looks so cute .

" Why did you force a kiss on me ? " Her frown is back .

Her hands slide down from my shoulders to rest on her lap . Now that I see , her ears also turned red .

" You participated willingly enough in the kiss , but you're angry ?"

She looks around , blinking . She's flustered . " Let's sleep . It's late ."

" That's right , Natsu . I killed your mother ."

Horror rips my eyes open . I look to my right . Lucy's not here .

Where is she ?

Lucy . Lucy . Lucy .

That was the name that ran through my mind as I went searching for her . She wasn't in the house . I ran outside . She's not here . I ran to the back of the house and realized she was sitting there , drying her hair .

She took a bath .

" Lucy ." I called out , my worries lifting .

She turns around with a blank face . I walk to her and pulled her into a tight hug .

" What's wrong ?" She asked .

" I missed you . Why did you erase my memories ?" I pull away , getting a proper look at her face .

" Wha- How'd you-" She's shocked .

I hugged her tightly again , heaving a sigh of relief . " I thought you got caught ." I could feel her hands creep up behind my back , hugging me back .

I missed this scent and this hug .

" How'd you remember ..? It was a strong spell ." Lucy blurted out , pulling away from me .

" That doesn't matter ."

Her eyes well up and her lips crack into a smile .

So she's been yearning for this moment too huh .

I took a deep breath before I continue . " Lucy . From the first day I'd met you , I have been wanting to say this to you . "

Are you sure you want to say it ? I killed your mom ."

" That has nothing to do with this ." My eyes never leave hers .

" Nats-"

" I love you . Lucy , I love you with every particle in my body . I can't live without you ."

I press my lips against hers , pulling her closer to me . I hug her tighter and she runs her hand through my hair , tugging it like how she did last night . We pull apart , breaking into chuckles . " That hurts , Lucy ." She smiles at me sweetly and I couldn't help but kiss her again .

" I love you too ."


End file.
